I thought I'd make my 200th film, a memorable one and I'm not disappointed about choosing this great title which remains unforgettable along with the other 2 in the series of short films by Yugantar. They are regarded as India's first feminist film collective, based out of Bangalore. It was formed in the 80s, a period that resulted in political, social & cultural upheavals in different parts of India. Meanwhile when we look at the west, the feminist movement was already established and saw the patriarchal power sinking. Coming back to India, the dramatic political and economic tension rises steadily, the county saw many protests. The educated women on one side resonating the feminist wave actively participating in various protests. In the rural areas the women's right moment was a sensitive issue. Few dared to sink in with the mood for change with all the fashion trimmings and exploration of western cinema, literature, arts and music. There were groups of brave women who rebelled against the injustice, but it was like sinking under the tide with no hope for improvement. In the cities, it was a mix of both the voice and the voiceless with the latter found to be in majority. They were forced to society-sanctioned duties, warned not to travel alone, or laugh out loud, and it was a time when misogyny was publicly a commonplace in the society.
Enter Yugantar, a collective which bought together like-minded folks who stepped out with a common goal to raise awareness, challenging the norms and demanding rights for women amidst all the financial difficulties. Yugantar created pioneering documentaries together with existing or ensuing women's groups and collaborated with feminist activist collective Stree Shakhti Sanghatana to cover topics raised by the women's movement at that time.
My pick out of the three shorts - Is This Just a Story? (1983), a married woman facing internalised misogyny, she is expected to deal with whatever tantrums the in-laws throw at her, she wants to pursue BA, desires to read a book in free time but is restricted to some kind of maid. As the story progresses her existence is useless, treated as a mere object of trade. This in turn leads to an explosion which is brilliantly captured in the narration with solid editing. It is important to shine a light on this injustice and I find myself wanting to thank the Yugantar collective for their contribution and Arsenal (Berlin) for the digital restoration.
I know a lot of these topics can ben seen in parallel and new wave films. Most of them flat, very typical in portraying women are victims and men are sexist without many nuances. Very few have made it to the point without watering it down to a tearjerker for sake of awards. Also, the male misogyny and patriarchy was a familiar trope in films and hence it feels repetitive in the Indian new wave films.
In 2021, a lot of the wrong notions are being reset, surprisingly the news of domestic violence is still relevant in today's world, especially in the third world countries. Do yourself a favour and hunt this down online, a collection of thought-provoking stories that is just as important now as it was in the past.