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Nothing but a tamasha

Noted film-makers Govind Nihalani and Saeed Mirza, known for their hard-hitting socio-political movies, say voters seem to have little 'real choice' in the coming election.

"Elections are becoming a joke, an immense tamasha. Below the surface, things go on as before," says Saeed Mirza, maker of such movies as Naseem, Saleem langde par mat ro and Albert Pinto ko gussa kyon ata hai.

Adds Nihalani, "In the coming general election, the choice before the people seems to be to select the best out of the worst."

Says Nihalani, whose latest film Hazar chaurasi ki ma explores against the backdrop of the Naxalite movement how political developments influence individual lives and inter-personal relationships, "the country is gripped by a crisis of confidence. People are unsure of whom to trust. All politicians talk of service and yet nobody seems to be above corruption and trading for power." The criminalisation of politics on a massive scale has made the citizens feel even more insecure, he adds.

Speaking at the recent 29th International Film Festival of India in New Delhi, both directors said any hope for clean politics lay with the people themselves.

"Citizens have to become aware of how they are manipulated and make a conscious decision in favour of righteousness and against injustice," says Nihalani.

Mirza, who spent five months travelling the length and breadth of the country to produce a special series for Doordarshan on 50 years of Independence, says there is an urgent need to re-think our development policies. Fifty years after Independence, what stands out most glaringly is that people do not seem to figure anywhere in the policy makers's thinking, says Mirza.

"Our biggest crime has been not to care for our people, who actually give this country its grace and dignity. They are under a continuous onslaught from the politicians, the bureaucrats and the media," he adds.

While Mirza feels that few political movies are made these days because of the decline in political standards, Nihalani says that censorship and lack of resources have been the biggest impediments in the way of meaningful cinema.

The audience is there. The directors are also there. But what is lacking is finance for films which do not have the usual masala. The Censor Board also is 'very sensitive' about movies which take positions and are critical of institutions and government policies, says Nihalani.

"Every time a political party comes to power, it reconstitutes the Censor Board and appoints people who would take care of their image," he adds. While popular films are allowed to get away with a lot, any serious attempt to go into complexities and 'explore the shades' is treated with suspicion, says Nihalani.

As for the power of cinema to change things, Nihalani feels it should not be overestimated. While movies can be a forum or a platform for airing viewpoints, it cannot be a medium for instant change.

UNI

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