IDSFFK 2026: Ameya Gore on his documentary ‘Going Solo’ and pushing the boundaries of sports documentaries

The documentary, produced by Sharib Khan and Vikas Kumar, follows women cyclists Gareema Shankar and Renu Singhi, on their journey to the London-Edinburgh-London cycling event in 2022

Updated - September 30, 2026 04:04 pm IST

A still from Going Solo | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Pune-based filmmaker Ameya Gore’s documentary, Going Solo, about female cyclists Gareema Shankar and Renu Singhi goes the extra mile, chronicling the athletes with distinct origin stories. The two women participated in the London-Edinburgh-London (LEL) cycling event in 2022, with Renu becoming the first Indian woman to complete the 1,500-km ultra-distance endurance race held once every four years.

The 70-minute film, produced by Sharib Khan and Vikas Kumar, was included in the Long Documentary Competition at the 18th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Keralam. Edited by Makarand Dambhare, the film explores a human story set against the backdrop of a sporting event, instead of resorting to the formulaic structures of celebrated sports dramas, with the women fighting ‘the weather, the terrain and their own demons’.

“Sharib and Vikas had just started his production house when he stumbled upon Gareema, who was participating in LEL. We met Renuji through her. Fortunately, both characters are very interesting and were focused on their task at hand,” says Ameya.

While Gareema got introduced to cycling as a weight-loss exercise, Renu ended up buying a bicycle while purchasing one for her son. It is to be noted that Delhi-based Gareema was 44 when she participated in the race, and Renu, who is from Jodhpur, was 58, when she took part in the six-day long endurance challenge.

While filming, Ameya realised that even though both women came from privileged backgrounds, “their cages were different”. “I discovered that while Gareema’s family was overprotective of her, Renu lived in a conventional patriarchal set up. It was interesting to observe the subtle differences and similarities between the two of them.”

Ameya adds, “During the first few days, while shooting with Gareema we were still figuring out how to execute the film. We didn’t want to do sit-down interviews with talking heads. The film really started taking shape when we went to Ooty with her. That’s when the film’s language started developing. As far as Renuji is concerned, the first instance you see her on screen is when she reads the newspaper sitting on the floor. These nuances took us forward.”

The film was shot in Delhi, Udhagamandalam, Jodhpur, and the UK in 2022 and 2023. Ameya says that the crew faced challenges in reaching the venue before the event. “My visa did not arrive in time for LEL, nor did my crew’s. Thankfully, one of our friends had a valid visa, and our DOP, Vandita Jain, had a friend in London. Sharib, who lives in the US, also went there directly,” she says.

Ameya and his associates used Google Maps and Google Street View to figure out where to shoot the athletes. They stayed in touch with Gareema’s father and Guruji, Renu’s coach, who accompanied them to the race, while tracking their positions. “I even did remote location scouting using the Street View tool,” says the filmmaker.

Renu Singhi | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The crew in the UK were also constantly challenged by the duo’s dynamic positions. “Even though Gareema began early, she fell behind. So, until that point, they followed her, waited for Renu to cross a checkpoint, and then caught up to Gareema by car. It was difficult to balance the two of them at the same time,” says Ameya.

A sports documentary with a twist

“When I spoke to Gareema for the first time, she was very forthcoming about her complicated relationship with her father. I told her while the race and cycling could be the backdrop, I am interested in the human story behind it. I asked her if she would be willing to share that. And once she agreed to it, that was when I truly believed we had a story in our hands,” says Ameya.

Going Solo doesn’t limit itself to the race; it extends to what happens in the lives of both participants after they finish. While some endings in the film could be described as picture perfect, Ameya continues to follow the two women, even after the race ends.

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“During one of my initial discussions with the producers, they told me about how the two might be one of the first women to finish LEL. But there were concerns about what would happen if they didn’t. That’s the beauty of the documentary: it is not a success story. The way things panned out during LEL clarifies that it is not about success or failure. Continuing the film for 12 to 13 minutes after the race is where we find Gareema the most vulnerable. That was the most beautiful part of the film,” says Ameya.