Musician Saahil Bhargava talks about his animated short 'Kohima'

Saahil Bhargava

Indian-origin musician Saahil Bhargava's latest nomination at the LA Shorts International Film Festival will see him rubbing shoulders with the likes of Paul McCartey and Yo Yo Ma. Bhargava's track, Kohima will contend for the Best Animation and Best Music/Dance titles, competing with tracks of the two veteran musicians. Should Bhargava take home the gong, his offering will be shortlisted for the 2022 Academy Awards.

Bhargava, who began to create the track as soon as the lockdown was imposed in 2020, says he decided to pen this tale on a soldier while researching for a history project. "It is set in the midst of a brutal battle, inspired by the Battle of Kohima that took place during WW2 in Northeast India, and focuses on an individual soldier's perspective. It highlights his emotions and conflicts, and his sense of panic, despair, and desperation to survive and return home. This battle has not been spoken about enough. I didn't want to write about war, but wished to draw attention to the horrors of it."

Having worked in the animation industry, he was innately drawn towards the format when arriving at the specifics of the video. "Animation is apt for emotional storytelling, especially for something set against the elaborate WW2 battle. I have seen many animated pieces showcase characters phenomenally. I wanted to do so too by focusing on the protagonist's face. It was via animation that we could capture the dread and hopelessness that comes from being in battle," says the LA-based composer, who has other animated works in the pipeline.