A myriad of stories lie unspoken in Mumbai. Like that of Sunita Jogi from Rajasthan, who lives on the street in Mahim. “Passersby stare at us, and women don’t have a toilet here. We can’t sleep at night if we see a stranger loitering around because once a taxi driver almost raped a girl in a hut.”
Bansi Jogi, her husband, has other concerns. “In 2001, Rahul Gandhi promised us homes. The BMC wants us to clear the streets but where should we go? Living on the streets has not stopped us from sending our children to school. We want to see them settled.”
Ishan Bhadoria, director of Bombay Bamboo and BMC , brings these stories to life on film. Mr. Bhadoria is part of the School of Media and Cultural Studies (SMCS), TISS, which premièred ‘Streets of Mumbai’ in their 10th edition of Cut.in, a film festival, last week. Altogether five films on the various facets of Mumbai's streets were screened at the institute.
Anjali Monteiro, professor, SMCS said, “This year, we wanted to focus on the streets of Mumbai, citizens’ life and their right over the streets. This is a committee-curated film festival.” Every year, the college gives the students a set of topics, from which they choose. In earlier editions, the festival has covered issues such as waste disposal and caste in Mumbai. The funding is taken care of by SMCS. It took around three months to make the films, of up to 20 minutes’ duration each, on Mumbai’s streets.
Canvas on the Fence revolves around the life of artists who sell their work outside Jehangir Art Gallery. Malvika M., who is part of the film production team, said, “The unique stories of every artist interested us. We talked to them for a month every day and even shot during the monsoon. The interactions that we had with the artists is the most remarkable part of the film.”
Says an artist who features in the film, “The paintings we sell are much cheaper than those sold inside the art gallery. We hate it when people insistently bargain with us. Please cooperate with street artists. People are afraid to come to this industry because of the disrespect it gets.”
Still City is an attempt to understand street photography. A subject in the film said, “Indians have started capturing history and the streets of Bombay much later than foreigners. The stories are all old now.” The director, Sukrita Baruah, said, “We wondered what the charm in a place is, that makes people spend on just photographs.”
After the screening of Behind the Bazaar , Zuber Azmi, a subject of the film, said, “Bhendi Bazaar is remembered for the wrong stories and the names of terrorists. The Saifee Burhani Upliftment Project (SBUP) is working on its redevelopment, impacting 20,000 lives over 16 acres.” Some of those who feature in the film are not entirely happy with this though. “What about the old charm of the market? It is a pain to see memories fading away due to SBUP,”said a resident. The film starts with stories of Chor Bazaar. “Chor Bazaar is a museum of your memory,” said Shrishti Malhotra, director.
In A Street in 4 Senses , the visually impaired tell viewers that everyone is part of one world. “I’m also a citizen of India and I have every right to walk on the streets without fear,” said one. Archana Kaware, the director, said, “Buses don’t stop long enough for a blind person to get on them. These are some issues we wanted to bring before citizens.”
Ms. Monteiro said the films had a crucial message to spread. “We see the culture of silence and fear in people today. We need to critique, discuss, share, imagine and dream issues.”
