A rundown house, a five-member family just managing to stay afloat, a VIP visit, media glare and the aftermath - Kannada film December 1 screened at the competition section of the IFFK is a biting satire on politicians who exploit the underprivileged for publicity stunts when elections are round the corner.
Set in rural Karnataka, the film zooms in on the family of Madevappa (Santhosh Uppina), a truck driver crippled in an accident, and his wife Devakka (Niveditha), who runs the family by selling rotis. Having to fend for two kids and also satisfy a blind old mother who keeps on complaining perpetually, Devakka is stretched to the limits day after day.
They live away from the gaze of government officials until one fine day, officials land up at their doorstep with a shower of goodies. The Chief Minister has decided to visit their home, have dinner, and spend the night there. Though it is an obvious publicity stunt, the real reason for choosing this household is revealed close towards the climax, laying bare the perverse extent to which those at the top can go for the sake of popularity and votes.
The humour is tricky, for much of it plays on the absolute helplessness of the family. The performances, most notably that of Niveditha, are natural and certainly take the film to a different level. December 1 had won the national award for the best Kannada film and the best screenplay this year.
It manages to shake the viewer a bit and is a reminder that all the hogwash on ‘trickle down’ and better days cannot actually make a difference to the lives of the majority in the hinterlands.
