‘WE ARE YET TO UNDERSTAND THAT DOCUMENTARIANS ARE ACTUALLY CHRONICLERS OF THE TIMES’

Q. Why do you think documentary makers should be helped and encouraged?

A. Getting funds for a documentary is a constant struggle, and of course then comes the lack of a distribution network. Features still have commercial model. All other countries support documentaries more than feature films. In India, people are yet to realise that documentarians are chroniclers of the times.

Q. How was your experience working with farmers?

A. We have worked on the plight of cotton farmers, issues of widows of farmers who brought about the green revolution, and those who committed suicide. In so many families, there are double and triple suicides.

Q. What do you think of the OTT revolution? Do you think the platform is ready for the kind of content you produce? A. We did speak to some senior at major platforms. They said they were following our work, but needed time. Frankly, what interests them at this point is travel and food, and of course sensational and racy documentaries produced by some outlets. As far as people like us, who work on human rights are concerned, well... the government calls us anti-national and urban Naxals while corporates feel we are out to destroy them.

Q. Most governments in the West support documentary filmmakers. What’s the condition in India? A. Here, we don’t have pride. Now look at China, which is investing heavily in art and culture because they realise its potential. After filmmakers Shyam Benegal and Adoor Gopalakrishnan, and critic Aruna Vasudev praised our work at different forums, the PSBT approached us. We made a film with them for Doordarshan for which they gave us Rs 6 lakh, while it costed us four times more.