There is a saying by a Mexican poet – “Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable,” a line later repeated by British street artist Banksy. This is what filmmaker Jeo Baby’s films do. One great example is The Great Indian Kitchen (2021), which was recently screened at the Calorie Film Festival at Bangalore International Centre, Domlur.
Following the recent screening, the conversation around his cinema extended beyond frames and into lived experience. Now, standing on the threshold of the 48th Moscow International Film Festival (MIFF), Baby is stepping into a new space – as a lead actor in Krishnashtami: The Book Of Dry Leaves, directed by Abhilash Babu. The film breaks away from conventional storytelling, adopting a still-image documentary style. “The modern representation of a poem or a new filmmaking style is entirely the maker’s vision. It gives me immense happiness to be part of something so different, especially as a protagonist, and to see it go to MIFF - it feels like a moment of pride,” he shares with CE.
But even as his work travels globally, Baby remains grounded in questions closer home – cinema, politics and representation. Reflecting on the current landscape and the question of certain films now being categorised under the ‘propoganda genre’, he does not hold back. “Especially after the ruling party came into governance, films and the awards associated with them are incomprehensible,” he emphasises, pointing to what he sees as a growing overlap between politics and recognition in cinema.
With his films taking strong stands against topics like feminism and homosexuality, he turns to The Great Indian Kitchen, where it all started. “The kitchen is the central character. And I chose this only because of my experience. After my marriage, my wife and I took the decision to share household chores. Later, the whole responsibility fell on me,” he says. His filmmaking has never shied away from difficult conversations. Yet, the impulse behind it is deeply personal for him. “My intention was never to satisfy the audience but myself. If the creator enjoys the work, eventually the audience will,” he says.
That philosophy is evident in the way he approaches storytelling – not by creating heroes and villains simply but by exploring the individuals in his films who are often products of larger social conditioning. “Of course, a character may have negative shades, but they are shaped by society. So the change cannot be individual – it has to come from within every household,” he explains. This perspective also shapes how he sees his own work and growth. “My films have changed me too – I may be better than before, but I’m not ideal,” he admits, acknowledging the ongoing nature of that transformation.
At the same time, Baby is clear about the role of discomfort in art. His films deliberately resist easy consumption, pushing audiences to confront what they might otherwise ignore. Speaking further about the controversy around The Great Indian Kitchen and its remakes , including the Save Indian Family Foundation, calling the film a toxic feminist film, he has only one comment – “Many films have the capacity to trigger people, but being an artiste, we shouldn’t shift our focus towards just anything,” he concludes.