Most of us remember our very first bicycling escapades — from the manner in which we pedalled to the scrapes and wounds. Owning a bicycle may not be a necessity or a luxury for most city-bred folk, but for those in rural areas, it means a lot more than just a means of transportation. That is exactly what director Karthik Saragur has tried to capture in his film Jeerjimbe.
“While cycling is a recreational activity for many in the city, it is an act that saves a little girl from the horrors of being forced into child marriage,” explains Karthik, who adds that the film is about a girl child and what happens to her when she gets her free bicycle from the government. It is a symbol of empowerment for a young girl living an impoverished life.
How this 13-year-old is forced to marry a man twice her age and how she pedals her way in the middle of the night to Bengaluru to meet the Chief Minister from the core of the story.
“The film is based on a true life incident and Jeerjimbe is a crowd-funded film. It was when we still had a financial crunch, that Pushkara Mallikarjunaiah came on board as the co-producer” he reveals.
Karthik researched for eight years for this film. “When the government gave free bicycles in 2010, I interviewed many girls in rural areas about their experience. I wanted this film to be very village-centric,” explains Karthik, who first released the film in the festive circuit and now soon plans to release it in theatres. “It has now been screened at more than 15 international fests,” beams the director.
The reason for releasing the film in festivals first “is to help children’s films be noticed and encouraged and also to help such films get mileage and the right platforms for launch. I now plan to screen the film to our honourable Chief Minister too and make the film a part of school curriculums where every girl child will get to watch it,” he states.
The film, featuring Suman Nagarkar and Siri Vanalli, who plays the lead child artiste, has won four state awards — Best Film, Best Child Actor, Best Music and Best Director.
Karthik adds that Jeerjimbe is a film that is born and made with lots of love. He says he loves the medium of cinema and uses it to tell powerful stories. “As I was born in Saragur and was into theatre since the age of four, I have been exposed to every style from Harikatha to stylised theatre. I use all that I have learnt in narrating a story through cinema,” says Karthik who now looks forward not just to the release of Jeerjimbe but also Bheema Sena Nala Maharaja , produced by Pushkara, Hemantha Rao and Rakshit Shetty.
