What is the difference between a documentary and propaganda? How do you walk the thin line when you make a documentary having cultural and political undertones? How do you refrain from drilling a particular world view into the audience? These are the questions which baffle me while watching documentaries. Ergo, I usually eschew documentaries. Last documentary which I truly enjoyed was "Super Size Me (2004)" by Morgan Spurlock, some 4 years ago (apart from all the Michael Moore stuff before that).
This documentary - Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hai - emerged as the trigger for campus violence at Hyderabad Central University in early 2016 when two student wings clashed over its screening. A very good friend noted that news and recommended this documentary to me and I duly obliged. As a matter of fact I bought its DVD and created this page on IMDb when I didn't find one! I very much appreciate the fact that this film tried to deliberate upon the sensitive topic of communal violence. A strange and very disturbing story of communal hatred incited by our leaders is told in this documentary. I laud the effort of the film- makers to boldly document the events occurring during the September 2013 communal riots from a plebeian viewpoint. The general effort is aimed at exposing the wicked nexus between local politics and communal rioting.
On the critical side, this documentary, like most others, has been made by film-makers averse to nationalistic and conservative world view. This fact is explicit by the facts provided and questions asked during the narrative. In the end, "Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hai" comes off as a documentary made with preconceived ideological underpinnings. It does touch some burning issues but falls flat when it comes to objective and in-depth analysis of deep rooted political rot. For example, I couldn't hear from the other side in detail ie. the right-wing political side. When you document a problem objectively, all sides need to be heard and let viewers be the final judge. There is an emerging documentary movement in India but it is still in nascent stage and very much left leaning. All we get are the likes of Leslee Udwin (India's Daughter) and Nisha Pahuja (The World Before Her). All of them seem to bash Indian culture and Indian conservatism. Film-makers should remember that conservatism, as such, is a strong undercurrent in Indian society. We simply can't ignore this fact.
P.S. - As a part of post-watching research, I came to know that Shubhradeep Chakravorty, one of the directors of this film, died of brain hemorrhage during the approval process of this film from CBFC. RIP brother.
This documentary - Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hai - emerged as the trigger for campus violence at Hyderabad Central University in early 2016 when two student wings clashed over its screening. A very good friend noted that news and recommended this documentary to me and I duly obliged. As a matter of fact I bought its DVD and created this page on IMDb when I didn't find one! I very much appreciate the fact that this film tried to deliberate upon the sensitive topic of communal violence. A strange and very disturbing story of communal hatred incited by our leaders is told in this documentary. I laud the effort of the film- makers to boldly document the events occurring during the September 2013 communal riots from a plebeian viewpoint. The general effort is aimed at exposing the wicked nexus between local politics and communal rioting.
On the critical side, this documentary, like most others, has been made by film-makers averse to nationalistic and conservative world view. This fact is explicit by the facts provided and questions asked during the narrative. In the end, "Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hai" comes off as a documentary made with preconceived ideological underpinnings. It does touch some burning issues but falls flat when it comes to objective and in-depth analysis of deep rooted political rot. For example, I couldn't hear from the other side in detail ie. the right-wing political side. When you document a problem objectively, all sides need to be heard and let viewers be the final judge. There is an emerging documentary movement in India but it is still in nascent stage and very much left leaning. All we get are the likes of Leslee Udwin (India's Daughter) and Nisha Pahuja (The World Before Her). All of them seem to bash Indian culture and Indian conservatism. Film-makers should remember that conservatism, as such, is a strong undercurrent in Indian society. We simply can't ignore this fact.
P.S. - As a part of post-watching research, I came to know that Shubhradeep Chakravorty, one of the directors of this film, died of brain hemorrhage during the approval process of this film from CBFC. RIP brother.
