The breath-taking gorgeousness of Leh has made numerous fleeting appearances in several films, and it is the centerpiece of Eros Now’s original mini-series Salute Siachen. The five-part travelogue of a celebrity expedition to Kumar Post, located at 15,632 feet on the Siachen glacier was released on Eros Now’s digital platform on January 15.
Salute Siachen documents the 20-day journey of a group comprising actors Arjun Rampal, Rannvijay Singha, Arunoday Singh, Hasan Zaidi and Sonnalli Seygall, model Namrata Gujaran, cricketer Rudra Pratap Singh and hockey player Yuvraj Walmiki. The trip highlights the extreme conditions under which the Indian Army operates at the Siachen glacier, which is considered the highest battleground on earth. Shlok Sharma, director of the recently released Haraamkhor, also participated in the expedition and directed the series.
With the goal of greeting the armed forces at Siachen, the group embarked on the expedition on August 15, 2016. The team was equipped with cameraphones and selfie-sticks as they trekked to their destination. A large chunk of each 15-minute episode is dominated by the footage captured by the team members and video diaries taken after the trip’s completion trip. The rawness of the footage captured by the team, mainly Arjun Rampal and Rannvijay Singh, lends veracity and immediacy to the series.
Although the footage coming from vastly different sources has been stitched together decently, the mixed visual grammar can sometimes be jarring. Since the experiences of the team members are pivotal to the series, their narrations are rarely interrupted. Snippets of trivia are delivered by the members themselves, or as text on the screen.
A sense of danger and adventure hangs over the trek, reminiscent of a slickly produced reality show. However, the show handles group dynamics with sensitivity, emphasising the importance of team work in times of crises and depicting a casual camaraderie between the trekkers. Salute Siachen has its fair share of melodrama, but derives its theatrics from the challenges posed by the landscape rather than personal conflicts
With its relentless emphasis on the tribulations faced by the Army in Siachen, the series is also infused with dollops of patriotism and nationalistic fervour. However, it is rescued from jingoism because of its focus on the personal journey of each team member and their genuine appreciation for people who navigate treacherous terrains and extreme weather conditions on a daily basis.
Although Salute Siachen derives its visual appeal from the unspoiled beauty of the mountains of Leh, it is more about the people attempting to navigate the rugged, punishing terrain than the location itself. While the series is punctuated with predictable time lapse shots of clouds scurrying across a sharp blue sky hanging over impressively rugged mountains, it eschews constructed shots of scenic locales. Instead, the focus is on the awe and respect that mountains inspire in the people who visit them.
The most powerful moment comes from the portrayal of the ravages of global warming on the ice caves at Siachen. A statement about the dwindling numbers of these caves and the visuals of a rapidly melting glacier highlight a global problem that is rarely given the acknowledgement it deserves.
