India’s first film on the Right to Information is out. The film “Ek Cup Chya,” was screened at the 40th International Film Festival of India here to a thunderous response from the audiences.
Speaking to The Hindu, the film’s directors Sumitra Bhave and Sunil Sukthankar, said, “It is the first film on RTI in any language in the country. We wanted to create awareness about the law among people.” “The decisions of the government are faceless but they impact the life of the common man for whom government’s word is law. It is not a propaganda film and addresses the common man who is often at the receiving end of a system which regards him as an anonymous entity,” Mr. Sukthankar added.
Ms. Bhave said, “The innocent-sounding phrase ‘Ek Cup Chay’ ( a cup of tea) has become an allegory for bribe-seeking across the country. The film focuses on fighting corruption with the help of RTI.”
Incidentally, the film, that is part of the Indian Panorama at IFFI, relates the story of how a State transport bus conductor uses the RTI Act to fight against a huge electricity bill he is slapped with by mistake.
Ms. Bhave and Mr. Sukthankar said their film is a tribute to those who have never offered a “cup of tea” to anyone and chosen to fight their battles silently. “Films are not just for entertainment. There is a dire need for socially useful cinema and we just want to encourage the common man to use the law available to him for his benefit and bringing about a clean society and polity,” Ms. Bhave added.
