Two documentaries Beware of Castes: Mirchpur by Jayakumar and Dr Shoe Maker by Charles Vinoth were released in the city recently, produced by Pa Ranjith of Kabali fame under his banner Neelam Productions. Speaking to City Express, Jayakumar says how he visited Haryana on official duty, but ended up doing a documentary. “I have tried to capture the lives of people in Mirchpur and how caste discrimination and oppression are still prevalent in the society. In 2010, few dalits were torched alive and around 18 of their homes were burnt down. I lived with them for a few days and observed how they’re being treated. It’s like a war going on everyday between the Hindus and ‘the untouchables’.”
Jayakumar adds how even now there’s a fear for safety around. “People are scared of murder, riots, looting and criminal conspiracy. New houses, where the riots took place, in Mirchpur remain empty. They are living in tents with plastic sheets, many kilometres away from their houses,” he says. Nobody, including the government, wants to help them. But there were Ambedkar’s photo in two or three places, he notes.
But how did he convince Ranjith to bankroll his documentary? “Ranjith and I were college mates and he has always been vocal about his views on caste and society. He encouraged me to do this and I can’t thank him enough. We read about such things in newspaper, but we forget it. Maybe, it’s because we feel disconnected to it,” he says adding that the whole purpose of the documentary is to show their plight and not to upset anyone. “I am not saying I accomplished something big, by doing this. It’s like a drop in the ocean,” he shares.
It was not easy to film the people there either. “When I took my camera out, I was assaulted physically. Nobody wanted to be captured. It’s a lot worse than what we think. Ten-year-old girls are afraid to go to schools because they fear they’d be raped,” he adds.
On the other hand speaking about Dr Shoe Maker, Charles Vinoth, who confesses knowing nothing about camera shots and frames, says the 40-minute documentary is about an old-man, who repaires football boots. “My friend Pandiaraju helped me co-direct it. Players approach cobblers to mend their shoes. But the protagonist is special, who knows how to manufacture the boots. He is a football fanatic. I have captured his story,” he explains adding that Ranjith was excited about the story and financed it. Caste is also covered in this film.