Gurvinder Singh Farmers’ protest through the lens of cinema
National Award-winning director on his experience of documenting the ongoing farmers’ protest and the spirit of independent film-making
At the break of dawn, a brand new newspaper is printed in Gurugram. As it is inked, cut, folded and stacked, Gurvinder Singh captures the he has first shot for the documentary
Nabeen working on. A three times his tional Award-winning filmmaker, prePunjabi language films have and miered at film festivals in Cannes the newsVenice. His camera follows paper bundles through the morning one mist as they are carried to Tikri, borderof the prominent protest sites ing Delhi. The protesters, mainly Uttar farmers from Punjab, Haryana, the Pradesh and Rajasthan, demand withdrawal of the three agriculture in laws passed by the Parliament September, 2020.
Singh, who resides in Chandigarh, ever had been aware of the agitation since the reforms were announced. as farmHe closely followed the news ers marched to Delhi in November. But, it was the launch of Trolley by Times, a newsletter founded that farmers, students and activists using prompted him to participate, cinema. the medium he knows best - industry At a time when the printing is in shambles, he found it startling publishthat protesters had taken to named ing to help their cause. He has his documentary after the paper. At Tikri, Trolley Times is distribto reuted out of a tent. An initiative claim the narrative on the movement, Hindi. it is written in Gurmukhi and run The bi-weekly paper had a print 5000 of 2000 copies for its first issue, for second and 7000 for third. “People come to the stall voluntarily. They are curious,” Singh in sought to find the extraordinary set in his the ordinary. The film was own cafe in Bir. Where Khanaur’s the filming was aided by familiarity, posunpredictability of the protest
Still, es fresh challenges for Singh. he finds the endeavour satisfying, this saying, “It feels great to witness and massive movement as an artist of make sense of it from the point view of cinema.” off
The lack of freedom to pull- what projects such as this one is filmkeeps the critically-acclaimed maker away from the mainstream. Although he watches Bollywood an infilms, he simply doesn’t have
“I don’t clination towards glamour. know whether making a mainstream film can give me independence. If I get to make it on my conditions, I’ll do it,” he maintains. strong Singh’s documentary covers statements. Personally, he sympathisthat the es with the farmers who state an ascontentious laws deny them desured income and make them can be pendent on the markets, which gieasily manipulated by corporate ants. “Many economists have favoured the laws. But, the most farmer heartening thing is that the arguleaders have countered every says. ment thrown their way, ” he doesAs a filmmaker, however, he among n’t dwell much on the debate on experts. Rather, he emphasises how the farmers feel. the borDuring Singh’s rounds on him, ders, old farmers often ask say, “How long will it take?” They men “We are stuck here.” Many have share the sentiment that they of 8 come to get their shahidi. As more January, 2021, there have been by than 120 farmer fatalities caused atfreezing temperatures, heart That's tacks, accidents and suicide. every day. approximately two deaths “People are prepared for any eventuality. They are completely fearless,” he says.
After multiple rounds of negotiafarmer’s tions with the government, unions say that they will accept recentnothing short of repeal. Most ly, they rejected the Modi governlaws for ment's offer to suspend the teaser 18 months. Singh has cut a so from the footage he has collected with far and uploaded it on YouTube Singh. a soundtrack by Madan Gopal
As the protests proceed, the documentary will take its shape. to the explains. It can be accredited maincontempt farmers bear for the have stream media, most of whom callserved them with neglect, name- ing, misinformation and propaganda. Besides information about the its soprotest, the paper aims to cover its pieces cio-political aspects. One of came to narrates how a group of men realise the effort that goes behind making perfectly-round chapatis. their “Back home, they would ask a meal wives or mothers to cook up their without a second thought when are the friends came over. Now they ones cooking for women. Observing this is this, an old man remarked that real feminism,” Singh recalls. four, He operates with a crew of
They handling the camera himself. next go with the flow, planning their “The idea steps as the protest unfolds. the eyes is to see the protest through
On the of the newspaper,” he says. Times first day of shoot, the Trolley at a parteam asked him to find them line. “It ticular pillar under the metro have is interesting that all the trolleys is an address now and that address the pillar number,” he says. naviA month into filming, he has
- gated several bemusing landscapes homes trolleys converted into mobile cold and camps set-up in the freezing speeches so that people can sit-in for protestday in and day out. At Tikri, among ers from each village gather themselves to cook their meals. Whereas, at Singhu, large langars a difare organised. “Every site has ferent e nergy,” he says.
The politically upfront documenlast tary is a far cry from Singh’s defilm, Khanaur. It was a delicate piction of life in the hills that