DOCUMENTING THE ‘OTHER’ INDIA
Ours is an effort to bridge the gap between policymakers and the people who actually matter
As a documentary filmmaker keen on exploring concerns at the grassroots level, Vishy Teki doesn’t treat the medium merely as a creative intervention. He tries to get under the skin of the people — trying to reflect on their source of anger and also aspiration.
Vishy, the founder of Communication Resource Centre, which uses videos to bring minority concerns to the mainstream, was recently awarded the Rex Karmaveer Silver Chakra by iCONGO in collaboration with the UN.
Speaking of his seven-member team he says, “Ours is an effort to bridge the gap between policymakers and the people who actually matter… and also connect the dots between the haves and have-nots by using videos as an educational tool to show the new generation that behind the confines of their homes, another India exists.”
An alumnus of University of Hyderabad, Vishy has made films backed by organisations like ActionAid, Hamara Bachpan and the Bill Gates Foundation to address — VISHY TEKI,
FILMMAKER a gamut of issues — displacement in rural areas, the lives of sex workers in Andhra Pradesh, how childhoods are affected during migration etc. But he doesn’t just acknowledge the problem; he probes its source and also its consequences.
He says, “In 2014, I travelled to Vietnam to work on a project called Dream Cities, which focused on the incessant sexual harassment faced by women in public spaces. The film was based on a study which was already conducted, but we spoke to women in different cities, who recounted their experiences and how it changed them.”
After this experience, Vishy is planning to make a film in India about how safe and frequent public transport can begin to alter the number of crimes committed against women in public spaces.
He adds, “Whenever a rape happens, we rush to demarcate it as a gender issue. But there are many women today who don’t have regular nine to five jobs, and to help them reach home safe — public transport needs to be made accessible across different routes throughout the day.”
Vishy also feels that Leslee Udwin’s documentary India’s Daughter recently played an important role in making the Internet a productive space for getting people together and expressing collective dissent.
“The government’s reaction was unfounded, but this film highlighted not just a heinous crime, but also the unprecedented public uproar that followed,” he says adding, “And this should encourage youngsters to get interested in the medium — because there are many more opportunities today to express one’s personal unrest about issues and help in changing people’s perspectives, for the better.”