Filming Neelam’s Story of Mental Health

Six months ago, I had chanced upon a case study that would consume my life for days to come. Neelam’s Story is not just about one individual; it is the voice of thousands. Many thousands who, despairingly, are unknowingly in thirst to receive the mental health help they crucially need – now further amplified by COVID-19.

One in four people in the world will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives. There are clear stigmas surrounding mental health within the South Asian community and the British Asian Trust has increased awareness to nearly over a quarter of a million individuals to help address this.

I paused, I wept, and my creative nerves were etched. Whilst the pandemic was evolving,

it was important for me to focus my efforts to try and make a difference – as a composer the only catalyst to do this for me was to bring Neelam’s Story alive through art.

Neelam’s Story represents pain, restlessness, hope and search portrayed through the sentiments of an ancient dance form and music within the film. There was no easy way to tell the story.

The process involved months of grit and buckets of determination to bring the project to life and I am delighted that it has caught the attention of thousands already. There are several dozen people to thank – at the receiving end of my unflinching bothering at nearly every hour of the day – to each of you, thank you.