M-Town's social connect

The only Marathi movie screened at the Berlin Film Festival this year was Satish Randive's Dusrya Jagatli based on the challenges faced by orphans. This somewhere reflects the changing sensibilities of the movie making fraternity.
Even though socially relevant films have always been a crucial part of M-Town's movie making, it's turning out to be filmmakers' favourite genre these days with emphasis on burning issues which are affecting the society.
Having penned experiences based on information provided by his doctor nephew and a two month research on medical malpractices, filmmaker Salim Shaikh is ready to depict his findings on screen with Aghor. He says, 'The medical profession is increasingly becoming commercial. My film raises simple questions that trouble a common man in his daily life. The intention is not only to create awareness but also to make the mal-practitioners realise that they can also be in a similar situation someday.'
Samir Kakkad's Uchlya is a film inspired by a novel published in 1987 with a similar title. The plot is based on a backward tribe that steals for a living after being shunned and subjected to inhuman treatment by the society. The familiarity of the topic encouraged debutant producer Arvind Tawre to make Jagran ' a film based on farmer suicides. 'I come from a middle class background. We are four brothers and one of them is into agriculture, which was my source of inspiration. My film will focus on how an individual can improve his pitiable condition instead of blaming others for his ill fate.'
Socially relevant films, however, have the fear of being labeled as 'arty' as they target a niche audience. So how do filmmakers handle this? While some filmmakers believe that such films should be made sans any frills, others feel that they require a commercial touch. Director Viju Mane says, 'Cinema is not an intellectual property and I believe in the commercial angle. Films like Valu, Natarang, Deool ' all had an underlying social message but were presented with a commercial angle. That is what sells. It's like lacing bitter medicine with honey so that the patient enjoys it.' Taware agrees and adds: 'I have roped in singers like Suresh Wadkar, Hariharan in my film. Amol Kolhe and Siya Patil, who play the lead characters, are also established actors.'
But director Rajiv Patil, who has churned out a socially relevant and successful movie like Jogwa, admits that there is space for such creativity. Offering some advice to new filmmakers who are excited to tackle social issues through their work, he says, 'There is a niche audience that likes to watch socially relevant content, so we need to make such films.
But while making these movies, directors should understand their responsibility and reflect reality. It has to be an honest effort. Adding a commercial touch is a personal choice and involves economics which are not similar to creativity. But if the content is good people will appreciate,' says Patil.
Actor Milind Gawli who essayed the role of a hijra in the Alka Kubal production Amhi Ka Tisre ' a movie that brought forth the issues concerning the rights of eunuchs, says the film was a learning experience for him. 'My character was inspired by Laxminarayan Tripathi's life; a popular name in the hijra community. The film was a learning experience about the community of eunuchs. Knowing their concerns closely has completely changed my perspective towards them. Today I am much more compassionate and have a lot of respect for them.' For some actors, socially relevant films are a medium to connect with the issues and contribute in their own way to the society. Saie Tamhankar, who is playing one of the leads in Shaikh's film based on medical malpractices, says, 'In our day to day hectic shooting schedules we hardly get a chance to do anything for the society. So being a part of a movie that talks about some social issues is an effort to make people aware about what is happening around.'