When your dreams can become flying unicorns, then they genuinely are Dreams Unlimited.
If you thought Bollywood, Kollywood, and Tollywood are the only pied piper platforms, then you haven’t looked to the North-East of India. With determination, it is one fascinating person’s dream to pursue his creative jest, satire, and awe for the entertainment industry. And he did make a fantastic career out of it.
Fast forward to 2020, Tiakumzuk Aier, the much sought-after Director, Producer, Writer, and Actor, is chatting with our publisher Gopi Krishna. He is zooming back and forth about his early life, struggles, awards, travels, and how he found his peace with theatre.
Here’s his Hatke Story.
The early life of Tiakumzuk Aier
I used to live in my world even as a child. I used to feel very connected with nature; the colors, the weather, and the soft and harsh whispers of wind were enough for me to be a happy child. We were born into a lower-middle-class family in Nagaland, which never did bother me or my younger sister and brother. My father was a local contractor, and my mother taught us to live within what he brought home. I am not sure what turned him into an alcoholic, but our life was never the same again. Evenings were scary, as my parents used to get into quarrels that I don’t like to recall.
My curiosity got me past my local High School, and I headed to Dimapur, a larger district in Nagaland, for my Higher Secondary. And that’s when I was exposed to movies and the real big world. The Dec 11th World Trade Centre going up in flames was an alien world, and I watched it live on television, gasping in awe.
My fascination with my unseen world grew by the day. I moved to Meghalaya for my undergraduate studies, where I watched a lot of theatre and cinema. My otherwise uneventful life was filled with the colors and sound effects of the large screen. Immediately after my final year exams in 2005, my fascination with Mumbai and Bollywood – the city of opportunities and dreams – got me packing to Mumbai. My roommate was heading to Mumbai to visit his sister’s home, and I tagged along with him. That was the first time I ever traveled on a train!
As I stepped out of the train in Mumbai, I somehow knew this experience was going to change me forever. I picked up a job at McDonald’s at Andheri and survived for 5-6 months. Despite getting into better-paying jobs, I failed in most interviews because of my poor communication skills. With little money left, I and another friend of mine used to live on ParleG biscuits.
We couldn’t live like that forever, and one fine day, we decided to head back home. We vacated our rented apartment, got to the station, and found that almost all trains heading home were booked. We had to shack up in a friend’s place for a few days. Mumbai taught me a lot, actually – To limit your dreams and live it up with jugaad.
We somehow reached Guwahati, but we had not a pie left in our pockets. We hired a taxi to head to Shillong, reached my sister’s place, borrowed some money from her, and paid for the taxi! When I headed back to Dimapur, I was engulfed by an emptiness that I can’t explain in words.
Back home, I was a mute spectator watching my parents quarreling every day. In September 2005, my father passed away in an accident. Suddenly, as the eldest of the family, I was expected to take on his mantle. My sister was still a student, my mom was a government employee, and I had no job. I was forced to think beyond my dreams.
The movie break
I picked up a job in a small clinic at Dimapur. My fascination with movies was still fertile, teasing me, taunting me to do something about it. One day, an advertisement caught my eye. A crew from Hyderabad was shooting at Dimapur, and they were looking for local talent. I made it to the audition with no big expectations. The producer from Nagaland cast me as the hero! It was exhilarating but also sounded very funny. Who would want to make me the hero of a commercial movie – But they did, and I was there!
Cranes, make-up, locals cheering us – All of this was a great experience. I took a 2-month break from my work at the clinic at loss-of-pay. My boss kindly consented, and that’s it – I was into movies. Everything was exciting.
During this shooting, I also had an opportunity to network with a husband and wife theatre duo. Cut to chase, I was back-at-the-clinic work, as the movie hardly made any ripples. One fine day, I got a call from this theatre couple, and they asked me to be part of their play at Dimapur. After work at the clinic and theatre, I used to head to the rehearsals, left a zing in my veins. I was excited all over again.
I got paid Rs.3000 for playing a minor role while working the whole month for the same amount at the clinic. But I realized I was a terrible actor when I enrolled in a residential workshop conducted by the National School of Drama (NSD). The workshop changed my perspectives on life. We had some very renowned professors exposing us to the world of theatre, acting, and direction. Post that workshop. We had the opportunity to perform in big cities like New Delhi and Mumbai. My decision to quit my 3K job and move on to this new art, drama, and theatre family with 26 young people was well worth it.
The Dreamz Unlimited of Tiakumzuk Aier
Soon, we launched Dreamz Unlimited. I was the natural leader of this young group, and I managed Dreams Unlimited and the group’s activities. But there was not much work coming our way. Most of the group went back to their regular lives, though I saw many theatre opportunities. I borrowed some money to create a professional office set up for Dreams Unlimited.
Still, there was not much work. Only 2 of us were left, carrying the burden of our dreams. We shut the shop. That was the next turning point in my life.
It was 2011, and I started scripting and directing because I couldn’t imagine abandoning my Dreams Unlimited. I experimented with satire and comedy. People just loved my mini-plays. I realized my strength as a writer, and then there was no looking back. I started receiving good reviews for my plays.
My next big project was a movie on Christ in 2012, and it was much appreciated. But we focused more on theatre. Dreams Unlimited now had new actors, and my brother stepped in to manage our YouTube channel that featured our plays. He is a professional editor, and he still is our official cameraman and editor.
We did a lot of propaganda theatre covering student programs for the church and the government with themes such as Swachh Bharat. YouTube was the next big focal area. A lot of our videos went viral, and we won loads of appreciation. With the internet gaining wider usage and bandwidths getting better, our social issues using satire connected well with our local population. I desired to share a social message, even if it was a fun play – With Dreams Unlimited, we immensely succeeded in that factor. Our YouTube videos pushed us to another level.
In the meantime, our church funded my movie, NANA. I covered the social issues of our region, and it was quite a hit. And that pushed me to the world of film festivals.
I traveled to Scotland in 2014 and to Edinburgh in 2017 as part of theatre festivals. I also got a chance to visit the USA as part of an artist’s entourage that traveled with the Governor. In 2015, I visited South Korea as the leader of a band of theatre artists. In 2019 I visited the Philippines as a resource person for an Asia Pacific youth congregation, where I spoke about bringing social change through art and drama. My world of theatre and drama took me all around the globe.
My second movie NANA won critical acclaim in India, too, and I hopped in and out of film festivals across the nation. My visit to Mumbai had a different ring to it, now – I left the city of dreams empty-handed, and I came back to it with unlimited dreams that got fulfilled.
Fast forward to now – I am a married man with a 2-year-old son. I am at peace with my work, and I have a whole lot of things on my plate – YouTube videos, theatre, propaganda plays, event-driven drama, and social messaging. A whole lot is happening. I did have my share of disappointments and failures in this business. Opening a drama school in 2018 was a big mistake. My vision to create more artists failed miserably because teaching is a different thing – It is not just the same as managing performances. I had to close it down to minimize losses.
In 2019, we received the State’s highest award for Art and Theatre. I won the best director’s award for NANA in Scotland and several National awards for short films.
As I am talking to you, I realize it has been an eventful life. All I did was I followed my passion, and my dreams were becoming a reality.
I am sure all of us have it in us to do that!
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