Rob Munday

Rebellion in our teenage years is an important part of our development, a way for us to gain our own identity and separate ourselves from our parents. For me it was growing my hair long and listening to progressively heavier music, for Montek the young (almost a teenager) protagonist in Divij Roopchand’s coming-of-age short Mast Qalandar it’s a haircut he seeks to set himself apart.

In Sikhism, the process of maintaining uncut hair (also known as Kesh) is seen as a sign of commitment and acceptance of God’s Will. Though the act of cutting their sacred locks is becoming more popular with modern Sikhs, and won’t exclude you from the religion, it is still very much seen as a sign of rebellion. In Roopchand’s 15-minute narrative we follow 12-year-old Montek, on the cusp of teendom, as he spends his day hunting down a pair of scissors to cut off his long hair.

Mohammad Samad as the hip-hop loving young protagonist of Mast Qalandar.

Made as his graduation film from the London Film School, Roopchand’s immersive short introduces us to its young antihero as he stares at his turbaned reflection in the mirror. Comparing his image to that of his hip-hop heroes, in the posters on his bedroom wall, we quickly come to understand that this is a film about identity. In the following scene, we witness young Montek have his head wrapped by his mother, all the time his eyes fixated on the scissors of the tailor in their shop. As his mother quizzes him about his upcoming birthday, asking him “then what do you want?”, the wheels are set in motion for Montek’s act of rebellion.

Shot in India with a mix of crew from his homeland and from his UK film school, Roopchand cites culture clashes and an article about a young boy who tattooed himself as inspiration for his storyline (in a Q&A for the Miami Short Film Festival). With the hope that through his film, viewers will get an understanding of the life of someone growing up in India and the different challenges they face, Mast Qalandar presents a much-needed positive portrayal of a Sikh character on screen.