Support Two Films Celebrating
India's Greatest Historians
Romila Thapar: A Life Beyond HistoryEk Tavil Umr (A Long Life) - On Harbans Mukhia
A Two-Film Independent Project by Eshan Sharma
In collaboration with The Heritage Foundation & The Ekgaon Group
Why These Films, and Why Now?
Showreel edited by Niharika Popli | Cinematography by Akshay Madan and Niharika Popli
We are, as Eric Hobsbawm warned, living in "interesting times"-marked by political volatility and historical erasure. In India today, history is often rewritten to suit majoritarian narratives. Scholars face institutional hostility. Intellectual freedom is shrinking. Classrooms are turning into ideological battlegrounds.
In this moment of distortion, the need to preserve voices of intellectual honesty and courage has never been more urgent. Historians like Romila Thapar and Harbans Mukhia are not only scholars-they are custodians of India's pluralist soul, shaping how generations have understood the subcontinent's complex past.
This two-film project offers an intimate cinematic record of their lives, work, and philosophies-not as academic figures alone, but as human beings shaped by music, memory, solitude, conversation, and political conviction.
Though structured as commercial, independently produced documentaries, these films are driven by a public mission-to preserve cultural memory, inspire future generations, and create a cinematic archive of intellectual courage.
About the Project
These films are being made for:- Global film festivals
- Academic institutions
- Cultural and historical archives
- Students and heritage enthusiasts who care about the deeper currents of Indian intellectual life
From the Director
As a historian and filmmaker, I came to know Romila Thapar and Harbans Mukhia not through textbooks or lecture halls, but through afternoons of quiet, reflective conversation. What struck me most was the seamless way they moved between history and poetry, between Dhrupad and Marx, between teaching and listening.These films are not about biography alone. They are about the interior lives of historians, about how they think, love, age, and dissent-and how they remain steadfast in their belief that truth, even when inconvenient, must be told.
- Eshan Sharma, Director
The Films at a Glance
1. Romila Thapar: A Life Beyond History
A contemplative and visually intimate portrait of one of India's most fearless public intellectuals. At 93, Professor Thapar continues to ask difficult questions-about history, power, and ethics. This film captures her solitude, her passion for Dhrupad, her reflections on memory, and the quiet clarity of a life dedicated to ideas. It is not a chronological biography but a lyrical invitation into her personal world.2. Ek Tavil Umr (A Long Life) - On Harbans Mukhia
An observational, deeply personal documentary on the life and thought of Harbans Mukhia-his poetry, politics, scholarship, and relationships. From Partition to the corridors of JNU, from feudalism debates to Urdu nazms read aloud at home-this film documents the human face of historical thought. It explores what it means to age as a scholar, to stay engaged, and to continue asking questions well into one's 80s.Project Status
We have completed principal photography at both historians' residences. What we've captured is rare: unscripted, unhurried conversations on life, learning, and legacy.To complete both films, we now seek support for:
- Editing and post-production
- Sound design and subtitling
- Original music
- Archival licensing
- Festival packaging and submissions
Total Funding Goal for Both Films: Rs.26,00,000
While these are commercial productions, they are not large-budget, studio-backed ventures. They are quiet, deliberate, and handcrafted with rigour. Your contribution will help us complete them with the seriousness they deserve.
Why Your Support Matters
- To preserve the voices of two of India's most respected historians
- To create a cinematic public archive of intellectual integrity
- To bring rigorous scholarship into accessible, visual form for students and general audiences
- To counter historical erasure with deeply researched, emotionally honest storytelling
- To ensure these films reach festivals, classrooms, and cultural institutions worldwide
What Your Support Will Enable
By contributing, you will help fund:- Professional editing, sound design, and mastering
- Translations and subtitling for multilingual academic use
- Archival licensing and DCP formatting for screenings
- Festival entries and international distribution
- A lasting cinematic tribute to India's intellectual history
All supporters will be credited in the film, and offered exclusive access to preview screenings and updates.
Endorsement
"The short trailer you sent me from the autobiographical film you are making on Prof. Romila is very well shot. It is a tragedy that we do not document the lives of our intellectuals with the rigour such a subject truly deserves. I hope this becomes a series-on Irfan Habib, Harbans Mukhia, Narayani Gupta. These are historians who gave us a new perspective on India."- Sohail Hashmi, Heritage Activist and Filmmaker
About the Director
Eshan Sharma is a historian and writer. He is the founder of Karwaan: The Heritage Exploration Initiative, a public history collective known for organizing heritage walks, academic talks, and cultural research. He holds a postgraduate degree in Modern Indian History from The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, and has taught at the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow. This is his debut film project.About Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation, New Delhi works to support and promote Indic heritage; including studies, research, publications, media, places, structures, architecture and various traditions of its diverse culture.The foundation has come forward to support the development of this series tentatively titled “History Makers”, Directed by Eshan Sharma with an aim to ensure that legacy and lives of our historians can be brought out in public domain.
The Heritage Foundation is co-producing this series with Mr. Eshan Sharma.
Ekgaon Group supports The Heritage Foundation and its various initiatives.
You can reach The Heritage Foundation @ info@heritage.in
Mr. Vijay Pratap Singh Aditya is co-founder of Ekgaon Group & The Heritage Foundation
Final Note
This is not just a film project. It is an intervention in public history, a cinematic act of remembrance, and a commitment to cultural memory.In helping us complete these films, you are not only supporting cinema-you are helping ensure that generations to come can hear, see, and learn from two of India's greatest minds.
Contribute. Share. Preserve a legacy.
For inquiries or institutional support:
karwaanheritage@gmail.com
Dear Patron,
As of now the payment gateway supports donations by Indian’s making payments in INR. However if you live outside India and want to support the project, we can provide you alternative international payment gateway. Please contact us if you wish to support Email: karwaanheritage@gmail.com