Monday, August 10, 2009

Where is the Farmer in Bollywood? Where is my Manoj?


From Times of India



Rooting out the farmer in Indian cinema
Insiya Amir, TNN 9 August 2009, 12:22am IST

India has come a long way from Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri's 1965 slogan ˜Jai Jawan Jai Kisaanâ. That was a time of war and food scarcity; both soldier and farmer were icons of patriotism and hard work.


Two years after the catchy slogan, Manoj Kumar, at Shastri's request, had the kisaan star as hero of his movie Upkaar. It could not happen today. The farmer is no longer idolized as hero of the Indian growth story. In a faithful reflection of reality, the kisaan has disappeared from the Bollywood plot as well. Manoj Kumar made box office history when he crooned Mere desh ki dharti in Upkaar. But today's movies are singing a videshi tune. I am sure there are hundreds of stories beyond the Gateway in Mumbai, the Golden Bridge of San Francisco and Oxford Street in London. But who is interested in those?asks film critic Anupama Chopra. The NRI movie is a trend that began with Aditya Chopra's Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and established itself with Karan Johar's Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. “Movies now are all about being cool and urbane. It is what the fabled NRI wants and it's what the new Indian in the multiplex wants, explains Chopra.


In fact, one of the biggest reasons why the farmer has disappeared from screens is the rise of the multiplexes. Director Ram Gopal Verma probably got it right when he said that he no longer needed to worry about UP and Bihar. Gone are the days when the struggles of Mother India captivated audiences across the country.


Instead, Priyanka Chopra's travails in Fashion get the box office cash tills ringing. Trade analyst Komal Nahata affirms, The farmer is out as the chunk of box-office earnings comes from cities. Manoj Kumar, the original farmer, has a different take on the issue. He says that today's directors are interested in telling their own stories, derived from lives lived in the fast lane.


To make a film about farmers you have to go out and see what their lives are like. This generation seems confined to watching DVDs in tall apartment buildings, says the veteran actor. Kumar insists the spotlight will be on farmers once again. When you see aerial shots of New York, it is a feast for the eyes. But when you see lush mustard fields, it is a feast for the soul. Farmers are the soul of the country, he asserts. But the numbers don't stack up for Kumar's argument.


A 2006 National Sample Survey Organization study found that 40% of India's farmers want a different job. Roughly 80,000 farmers with landholdings and landless labourers alike are thought to be moving to the cities every year. Studies show that by 2020, 70% of Tamil Nadu's farmers, 65% of those in Punjab and nearly 55% of UP's farmers will move to urban centers. Meanwhile, agriculture's share of India' GDP has steadily declined from 46% in 1960 to 20% today, even though 70% of the population is still engaged in the sector.


Sociologist Shiv Viswanathan says it's no wonder that the farmer has been written off. He says, The kisaan has become an object in the experiment of biotechnology, and that too without any sense of modernity. If only agriculture in India was more modern, the farmer wouldn't look so out of place and out of breath.


The farmer is having as much trouble in reel life too. By and large, movies with rural settings have sunk without a trace, not least last year's Summer of 2007, which dealt with farmer suicides. And Bollywood's newest offering, Kisaan, is getting no media attention. Filmmaker Shyam Benegal says rural India is ignored on the silver screen. Indian cinema has become aspirational. It is thriving on people who want their movies to be about the same consumerist lifestyle they are leading, or want to lead, says the director whose Ankur and other films are still remembered for their portrayal of rural life. Dealing with rural India needs a certain social engagement.


Mainstream (Bollywood) is not intrigued by that. But Benegal says all is not lost. Younger filmmakers are making movies about the realities of rural India. (But) these are documentaries, he says. The chances are that someone will notice and Bollywood will once again write scripts about Bharat.


Manoj Kumar remains hopeful: All things in life are cyclical. We will go back to our roots. And the farmer will have his day in the sun again.

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