A bureaucrat & a filmmaker: Jashanpreet aka Rose Gill

Jashanpreet Kaur, aka Rose Gill, a PCS officer with the Patiala Development Authority, debuted as filmmaker in the fest. “Raah-E-Nanak is about people who unknowingly walk the path of Guru Nanak. It is inspired by my brother Haider, who works immensely for causes and isn’t even aware of it,” she says. Although she took up the civil services to “fulfill my father’s wishes,” she decided to pursue her passion once settled. “I met Imtiaz Ali who was screening Chamkila in my hometown Sangrur,” says Rose who took a sabbatical to study filmmaking in LA in 2022. She adds, “He put me in touch with Bicky Singh.”
Ask her about navigating the divergent paths of a bureaucrat and a filmmaker and she says, “I straddled that dilemma and discussed with Imtiaz that maybe I should quit my job. But he advised me to treat it as a challenge and balance my passion with profession.”
Often working 9 to 5 or even 24 hours, Rose dedicated her time thereafter to writing films. “Another civil servant friend, pen named Dastgir, joined my project as composer and narrator. I believe, human beings are meant to engage in diverse pursuits, not just one,” she says. While this festival is a non-profit, which is why Rose could participate per govt rules, she is keen on making a feature film too, if her profession allows it. "My tribe is growing (laughs), as I am getting support from more of my colleagues and fraternity. Life as civil servant is challenging and we lose ourselves in this hustle. So, we must do something else too, so that we have charm of doing different things in life."