THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kosa Muchaki, a 17-year-old Adivasi boy from Bastar in Chhattisgarh is caught between the police and Maoists. Mohit Priyadarshi’s ‘Kosa’ portrays the boy who is being picked up wrongly by the police while looking for a Naxal leader of the same name aged 30 years. The film is being screened in the International Competition category at the 25th International Film Festival of Kerala.
“The film has been fictionalised but I have tried to bring life to all characters in the film.
The film is based on real-life events,” says writer-director Mohit Priyadarshi who is in the city as part of the festival. “The film is a reflection of the plight of the Adivasis who are marginalised and suppressed. Kosa is one among the individuals from the marginalised communities who is jailed wrongfully by the people in power,” he said.
“During my days in the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), I was more interested in studying and researching the plight of the Adivasi people in the country. After completing my course, I moved back to Delhi and began working as a freelance writer. I was a part of a collective, ‘Matidari’, started along with my friends wherein we hosted film festivals and filmmakers, activists and lawyers. During one such event, a lawyer discussed a case that inspired me to do the film,” said Mohit, who is a native of Bihar. The filmmaker started working on the film in 2017 and the entire film was crowdfunded.
“I did a lot of research and met people from the Adivasi community in Bastar where the boy resided. I spoke to his father and the people from the area who explained the incident,” he added. Finding a producer was also difficult and the filmmaker says that he didn’t approach one since he didn’t want to give up his freedom while making the film.
Mohit added that since the film was based on a boy belonging to the Gondi tribe in Southern Chhattisgarh, it was difficult shooting in the same location. “I searched for Gondi tribe people in other states such as Madhya Pradesh which has similar villages like Bastar,” he said.Mohit and his crew, which included editor Davis P Manuel and Ananthakrishnan, one of his cinematographers, did the work along with a team of actors who were mostly non-professional.
Kunal Bhange, who plays the role of Kosa was from a theatre group. Kareena Jagat and Mona Vaghmare were both picked up from the Adivasi communities. “It was a good experience with diverse characters and subjects,” said Davis. The film ‘Kosa’ made its Indian premiere in the 26th Kolkata International Film Festival held in January and was screened at the UK’s Radiance Festival held in October last year.