With spotlight on marginalised, two-day film fest ends on a high

Bhopal: Films like ‘Ek Jagah Apni’, ‘Nirnay’ and ‘Turup’ captivated and challenged audiences in equal measure at the two-day film festival that came to a close in the city on Saturday. The screened films and documentaries asked viewers to think and reflect upon the viewpoints and contexts of the underprivileged and under-represented, who are almost always cast out of the mainstream landscape of cinema and media.
A total of 5 films were screened on the last day of the film festival which also included two animated films and two documentaries.
Released in 2017, Ektara Collective's collaboratively directed film 'Turup' received an overwhelmingly positive response from the audience on the second day. The film, also known as ‘Checkmate,’ ambitiously delves into the social realities surrounding Bhopal’s Chakki Chowk, wherein the daily intersections of caste, religion, gender and class hover over the lives of the film's characters. Chess, a favorite pastime in the neighborhood, serves as a symbolic metaphor that subtly charts the characters’ lives on the socio-political chessboard.
“The film came from what was happening around us. We wanted to capture those lived experiences and realities, and represent them on the screen. And there wasn’t just one director, it was a collaborative effort,” Rhinchin, who co-wrote 'Turup' with Maheen Mirza told TOI.
Earlier in the day, Pushpa Rawat's forthright documentary ‘Nirnay’ offered audiences a glimpse into the filmmaker’s life and that of her friends through her unique lens, both literally and metaphorically. Rawat’s lens portrayed the perspectives of women in an individualistic and humane manner, illustrating how women, particularly underprivileged ones, are callously seen as dependent beings in all spheres of their lives, and are denied agency.
The festival also featured short videos on the intricate nature of consent in the workplace and among students, produced by Partners for Law in Development, an organization which was also part of the fest’s organizing committee. Following the screening, a thoughtful discussion on consent took place among the audience, including students and the city’s youth.
The festival concluded with the screening of Marjane Satrapi’s autobiographical film ‘Persepolis,’ depicting Sartrapi’s childhood and coming-of-age in an Iran that transitioned from a Shah’s monarchy to a regressive theocracy.