Documentary: Still Standing - How to Never Say 'I Give Up'! By Gautam Chintamani Expert Author Gautam Chintamani
Imagine being bedridden for a quarter of a century and yet being unstoppable. Rajinder Johar is one such man who has spent the best years of his life on a bed and never let his disability come in the way of living a full life.
Still Standing a Documentary on Rajinder Johar A documentary exploring the life of Rajinder Johar, 'Still Standing' is one of the most inspiring tales you'd ever experience. Shot as a result of a professionally rivalry in 1986, Rajinder Johar was pronounced hundred percent disabled by doctors in the months following the unfortunate incident. Mulling over the cold blooded heinous action on the part of a former colleague, questioning destiny, blaming God and falling in the deep recesses of the darkness of one's own heart life could have been over for Johar but he chose not to fall prey to anything like that. Instead Rajinder Johar decided to change the way the world looked at disability. Written, directed and produced by Pankaj Johar, Still Standing explores how the filmmaker's father has been working relentless to help other disabled people stand on their feet. Uplifting not only their spirits but transforming their lives by guiding them to become self-reliant, the documentary shows how one man has single-handedly helped changed mindsets.
Worth Noticing in Still Standing A highly emotional film Still Standing is one of the most poignant documentaries you'd see and yet it never becomes preachy. Working on two parallels Still Standing, besides being the story of a father and a shining beacon of hope for thousands of people, also follows a group of disabled individuals and highlights the changes in their lives once they come in contact with Rajinder Johar and the effect it has on their lives.
What separates Still Standing from most of the documentaries made by family members is that somewhere they tend to become overly familiar. Even though a son would know his father best and a son, undoubtedly, would be the best person to chronicle the life of a father, a son could also be the wrong person to make such a film due to his proximity with the subject. Pankaj Johar's biggest achievement has been his strength to view his own father's life and work from a very objective point of view. Never once do you get a feeling about the sheer difficulties the family would have gone through and yet you know the pain that close and immediate family would have suffered. Rather the entire journey of Rajinder Johar's life and his work in the disability sector has been told more like a personal reportage more than anything else. A nation where the majority of its 60 million disabled population survives below the poverty line; Rajinder Johar is not only a phenomenon but also an inspiration. He started with the thought of doing something for someone who was in a similar situation and today with the help of his family and friends runs Family of Disabled, a foundation that not only counsels the physically challenged but also helps them in starting up their own trade, providing their children access to education and guiding them to find their rightful place in this world. Someone once famously mentioned, "It doesn't matter who my father was; it matters who I remember he was." In Pankaj Johar's case it's equally important to everyone to know the man his father really is. A self-financed documentary that is a labor of love, Still Standing is a celebration of a life that didn't let anything stop it from living.
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