For director Nagraj Manjule, winning national awards is nothing new. His first short film Pistulya too won the national award for Best Debut in the short film category. Now, Manjule has won the National Award for Best Debut for Director for Fandry. And not just the national award, Fandry has won the Grand Jury Prize in the Mumbai International Film Festival, The Best Indian Film of Year 2013 awarded by the International Federation of Film Critics, as well as Best Film, Best Film (Audience), Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Actor awards at the Pune International Film Festival. Nagraj Manjule talks about his approach to cinema, his childhood, politics, and why caste is the centre point of his creations.
Congratulations on your second national award. How important is this award to you?
Thank you. It’s not just me; Somnath Awaghade has won the Best Child Artist award as well and that makes me happier. I value the National Awards above all and, given the kind of reception the film received, both from critics and viewers, I was hoping to do well. The awards are as important as the people watching your film. After all, we make films for people to watch. And winning a national award makes people realise the importance of that film.
You have been travelling a lot, taking Fandry to different festivals. How was the response overseas?
I had just returned from the U.S. I had to cut the tour short for the National Awards, but the film was appreciated at the Los Angeles Film Festival. I was invited to several universities as well. For them, the Indian cinema is largely about Bollywood, about song and dance. Fandry was a different experience; especially the fact that casteism is still deep-rooted and dominant in today’s India shocked them. We would have detailed discussions on issues ranging from Dr. Ambedkar to Indian cinema. It was a great experience. I also met Karen Tenkhoff, the producer of The Motorcycle Diaries , who loved Fandry and said she would love to work with me.
Is Fandry’s story based on your childhood?
Fandry is a coming-of-age story about Jabya, a boy belonging to the Kaikadi community. His family survives by doing petty jobs in the village and also has the extra responsibility of catching the pigs in the village. I was born in the Wadar community in Solapur’s Karmala area. Our profession was to break stones. Though my father never caught pigs, we were actually expected to do that. As a schoolboy, I was ashamed of this reality. Fandry is the word used for pigs in my village and they used to commonly call us too by the same name. Nobody saw anything wrong in this. It was an insult to me, but I had no idea why it was me who was suffering. As a student, my caste was imprinted on me even in school.
And the girl you fell in love with at school?
How did you turn to cinema?
I have done many jobs. I joined the police after school. I went on to become a watchman, worked in general stores, in a telephone booth. I did all this for money while studying. After my M.A. in Marathi, a friend told me about a Mass Communication course. I love telling stories. One of my friends, a faculty member, asked me to sign up. My main attraction was the possibility of a chance to make a short film and tell my story.
I did that through Pistulya and that gave me my first National award. It reinforced my belief that I could tell stories in a way that people would like. I wanted to express myself; this is one of my needs. Not just films; I write poems and draw pictures too. I have realised that I can’t live without this.
Are you inspired by any particular director?
Not really. My introduction to foreign language films was five years ago. I grew up on typical masala films, which all of us like. Idolising a particular person is like following a big truck blindly. Your chances of landing in a pothole increase a lot. I prefer to tell my stories in my way.
Why did you choose untrained actors for your film?
I did it purposely. People always follow actors; I follow characters. According to me, a film’s characters are more important than the actors. For any film, its characters have to be strong. People like Amitabh Bachchan are great actors, but if the role isn’t strong enough what can they do?
Why did you pick caste as the theme for both your first films?
Caste is the reality of our society. Those who don’t suffer the discrimination feel there is no casteism. Just because the middle class thinks that casteism has vanished doesn’t make it a reality. Take the very simple example of marriage. Does a Brahmin groom voluntarily look for a Dalit bride? Caste has become a part of our routine life. Look around you, check among your friends and close circles. I have not tried to profess anything in the film; I only wanted to show the reality.
In an industry where people are hesitant to take a stand on any issue, don’t you think you will be sidelined for your strong views?
Being an Ambedkarite is an honour and there is nothing wrong in it, nothing to hide. He professed the ideology of equality; and was not for any particular caste. He showed the way that every progressive person would like to follow. What’s wrong in following him? I am really not bothered about being sidelined. I was never on the centre stage so how can I be sidelined?
I don’t have high aspirations of being part of the glamour world or the talk-of-the-town. I want to tell my stories to people in my own way. I have my friends, who will be with me in future. I am happy with them.
Many think that Fandry’s end supports violence. What do you think?
If you think that a small boy throwing stones amounts to violence, how do you evaluate society’s treatment of that boy and his family before that? Wasn’t that violence? As a society, we have the habit of calling any retaliation by the oppressed section as violence. We conveniently ignore the oppression and choose to see it as a way of life.
After two national awards, audiences are expecting a lot from you. Do you feel the pressure?
As a society, we love worshipping. People often tell me that they expect greater work from me in future. I counter them; because I hate it when someone calls me great. I am a human being. I also deserve a chance at committing a mistake.
