BANGKOK--“Two Indias co-exist in this country,” says Amitabh Bachchan sternly, his resonant voice reverberating through the theater. “And if we want our country to genuinely progress, we shall have to eliminate the gap between the two.”
The silence in the Esplanade Cineplex Ratchada is absolute, as the audience holds its collective breath. All eyes are glued to the drama unfolding on the screen, which is centered on one of India's most controversial issues of recent years — seat reservation for the lower castes.
The movie, “Aarakshan” (“Reservation”), ends on a happy note, a perfect example of Bollywood's aptitude for melodrama while dealing with very serious and complex issues. And it adds another feather to the cap of Prakash Jha, a filmmaker known for working on issues that bring about social change, no matter how sensitive they might be
In addition to “Aarakshan,” this year's edition of the World Film Festival of Bangkok also screened another of this talented filmmaker's work, his latest movie “Chakravyuh,” a social commentary on long-running Naxalite-Maoist insurgency.
In Bangkok to attend the film festival, the 60-year-old Jha says he has always been more attracted by “real human stories” than fantasies. “Our sub-continent is amazing. There are so many factors there — caste, class, region, language, color and politics — to work with.”
But no other film has earned as much resistance as “Aarakshan.” Set in the context of an Indian Supreme Court decree that 49.5 percent of admissions to public educational institutions be reserved for students from the lower castes, the 2011 film sheds light on the events in a college.
The court ruling is so divisive that Prabhakar Anand, principal of STM College, a nongovernment college exempt from this mandate, sees one of his prized teachers, lower-caste Deepak Kumar, turning against him and alienating his fiancee Poorbi, Anand's daughter. Feeling threatened by the court order, Kumar's upper caste classmate Sushant takes a stand for admission on merit alone. During a newspaper interview, Anand speaks in favor of the reservation, earning ire from some of the trustees. Vice Principal Mithilesh Singh (Manoj Bajpayee), who runs a US$217 million private coaching business in connivance with a state minister, uses this against Anand to push him into tendering his resignation. Mithilesh also takes over Anand's family home, forcing him to live near a cowshed.
However, Anand starts teaching needy and backward students from the slum at the cowshed. The youngsters do well and Mithilesh's coaching business suffers. Realising Anand's intent, Deepak and Sushant also join Anand's cowshed school. As Mithilesh is about to demolish the cowshed, reclusive magnate Shakuntala Thakral (Hema Malini) convinces Anand to head the new STM Remedial Centre to provide free coaching to needy and weak students.
Asked if anything other than the court ruling triggered the making of the film, Jha nods. “Another development has been taking place over the last 10 years. When we went into the commercialization of education, almost everybody wanted to become a manager or an engineer. Suddenly, a new caste of people could buy opportunity. If you want to go to a good college, the fees you have to pay are prohibitive.”
The film faced such strong resistance that it was banned in several states including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh. Jha was forced to go to the Supreme Court before his film could be released. He also faced protests from different groups including dalits and OBCs (other backward castes) in Mumbai.
Jha personally supports the reservation policy. “It's time for change. We're trying to transcend from a caste-based society to a more equal society. This is not a process that is going to be completed in 10, 20 or 50 years. It may take a couple of centuries for the whole mindset to change.”
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/art/movies-&-films/2012/12/02/362742/Two-Indias.htm
The silence in the Esplanade Cineplex Ratchada is absolute, as the audience holds its collective breath. All eyes are glued to the drama unfolding on the screen, which is centered on one of India's most controversial issues of recent years — seat reservation for the lower castes.
The movie, “Aarakshan” (“Reservation”), ends on a happy note, a perfect example of Bollywood's aptitude for melodrama while dealing with very serious and complex issues. And it adds another feather to the cap of Prakash Jha, a filmmaker known for working on issues that bring about social change, no matter how sensitive they might be
In addition to “Aarakshan,” this year's edition of the World Film Festival of Bangkok also screened another of this talented filmmaker's work, his latest movie “Chakravyuh,” a social commentary on long-running Naxalite-Maoist insurgency.
In Bangkok to attend the film festival, the 60-year-old Jha says he has always been more attracted by “real human stories” than fantasies. “Our sub-continent is amazing. There are so many factors there — caste, class, region, language, color and politics — to work with.”
But no other film has earned as much resistance as “Aarakshan.” Set in the context of an Indian Supreme Court decree that 49.5 percent of admissions to public educational institutions be reserved for students from the lower castes, the 2011 film sheds light on the events in a college.
The court ruling is so divisive that Prabhakar Anand, principal of STM College, a nongovernment college exempt from this mandate, sees one of his prized teachers, lower-caste Deepak Kumar, turning against him and alienating his fiancee Poorbi, Anand's daughter. Feeling threatened by the court order, Kumar's upper caste classmate Sushant takes a stand for admission on merit alone. During a newspaper interview, Anand speaks in favor of the reservation, earning ire from some of the trustees. Vice Principal Mithilesh Singh (Manoj Bajpayee), who runs a US$217 million private coaching business in connivance with a state minister, uses this against Anand to push him into tendering his resignation. Mithilesh also takes over Anand's family home, forcing him to live near a cowshed.
However, Anand starts teaching needy and backward students from the slum at the cowshed. The youngsters do well and Mithilesh's coaching business suffers. Realising Anand's intent, Deepak and Sushant also join Anand's cowshed school. As Mithilesh is about to demolish the cowshed, reclusive magnate Shakuntala Thakral (Hema Malini) convinces Anand to head the new STM Remedial Centre to provide free coaching to needy and weak students.
Asked if anything other than the court ruling triggered the making of the film, Jha nods. “Another development has been taking place over the last 10 years. When we went into the commercialization of education, almost everybody wanted to become a manager or an engineer. Suddenly, a new caste of people could buy opportunity. If you want to go to a good college, the fees you have to pay are prohibitive.”
The film faced such strong resistance that it was banned in several states including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh. Jha was forced to go to the Supreme Court before his film could be released. He also faced protests from different groups including dalits and OBCs (other backward castes) in Mumbai.
Jha personally supports the reservation policy. “It's time for change. We're trying to transcend from a caste-based society to a more equal society. This is not a process that is going to be completed in 10, 20 or 50 years. It may take a couple of centuries for the whole mindset to change.”
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/art/movies-&-films/2012/12/02/362742/Two-Indias.htm
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