Well, since most films do contain warnings and advisories, I would like to issue a personal advisory here to all the people planning to watch this documentary.
“This film contains content that can shake the nerves of even the most emotionally strong person. If this film affects you in no way whatsoever, then you can, with 100% surety say that you’re not a human being. Thus, viewer discretion is advised.”
This 56 minute long documentary by Deepa Bhatia, highlights the struggles of the farmers, and the efforts of a lone journalistic crusader Mr. P. Sainath.
“In the past 10 years, 200000 farmers have committed suicide in India, but the mainstream media hardly reflects this.” echo the words in the title sequence. The weightage of this sentence dawns only as the documentary progresses revealing the plight of the farmers and the extreme apathy shown by the richer class. The documentary features clippings from P. Sainath’s personal life, his seminars and talks, as well as his direct interactions with the farmers.
The theme is centered round the agrarian setup of India, with prime focus on the crisis that rocked Vidharba, the eastern regions of Maharashtra. The most appealing, yet appalling scenes in the movie are the hurt-filled poetry by the Farmer-Poet Late Shri Krishna Kalamb, who committed suicide due to crop failure and being unable to repay his loans. At this juncture, one must credit Amol Gupte for the crisp translations of Kalamb’s Marathi Poetry, which just add to the charm of the documentary.
A full-fledged review of this documentary would be wrong on my part, as we are nobody to judge the plight of the farmers or how it has been portrayed, also partly because somewhere deep down, we too are Nero’s Guests… So now, contradicting my earlier warning, I would strongly advise you to watch this movie, and please… Empathy is what is required, not sympathy!
Directed by: Deepa Bhatia Produced by: Arte France, Oktober Camera: Amol Gole Starring: P. Sainath Music by: Shailendra Barve Editing by: Abhro Banerjee Release Year: 2009 Running time: 56min Country:India Language: English
Sudy Speaks 