Where are the farmer films?

Up till the ’80s, filmmakers were regularly documenting peasant resistance, writes M S Murali Krishna, in the wake of a docufilm on farm protests being blocked from BIFFes

The information and broadcasting ministry denied permission for the screening of ‘Kisan Satyagraha’, a documentary film on the farmers protest against farm laws at the recently concluded 15th Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes). Directed by Kesari Haravoo, the film documents the sit-in protest by farmers in November 2020 on the borders of Delhi. 

The government in the saddle at the centre passed the three farm laws with much fanfare in 2020. But the farmers of Punjab, Haryana and other states vehemently opposed these laws that were implemented without any discussions with the stakeholders — the farmers and their associations.  Despite the raging Covid 19 pandemic, the farmers associations waged a historic struggle (2020-21) on the borders of Delhi and elsewhere for the repeal of these farm laws. Ultimately, the central government caved in and withdrew the farm laws.

The  farmers struggle enthused some filmmakers to make documentary films like ‘Kisan Satyagraha’, ‘Too Much Democracy’ (Dir: Varrun Sukhraj), ‘Chardi Kala- An Ode to Resilience’ (Dir: Prateek Shekar), ‘Dews of the Storm’ (Dir: Akshit Sharma) to document its various aspects. But documentary films do not attract masses like feature films. It is to be noted that feature filmmakers made no efforts to portray this satyagraha of farmers either in mainstream or parallel cinema. Why such a lackadaisical approach by filmmakers is a question that may haunt cinephiles and film critics. That they feared a strike back by the “empire” is a plausible reason. 

The 1970s and ’80s saw many films having stories of exploitation by landlords and resistance by small farmers and labourers. Films like ‘Ankur’ (1974), ‘Nishant’ (1975), ‘Chomana Dudi’ (1975), ‘Oka Oori Katha’ (1977) and ‘Paar’ (1984) reflected the theme in a nuanced way. In other words, such films portrayed the changes that were taking place in our polity when progressive legislations were passed by governments at the helm of affairs during that period. The often repeated quote that art depicts reality did hold good in the case of some that held a mirror to the societal developments of the day. 

The 1970s witnessed many churnings in the realm of politics, social happenings, and culture. In 1974, the Devaraj Urs-led state government introduced the ‘Land to the Tiller’ policy under the Land Reforms programme. The decade also saw the consolidation of the naxalite movement that spearheaded the cause of small farmers and agricultural labourers. The end of the 1960s witnessed Green, White and Yellow revolutions. The Bank Nationalisation Act was introduced in 1969. All these developments brought out the many problems confronting our rural sector into the foreground. In short, the attention turned towards the development of the rural economy. 

Directed by S Siddalingaiah, ‘Bhootayyana Maga Ayyu’ was released in 1974. It was based on a short story from the collection, ‘Vyyaari’ by Gorur Ramaswamy Iyengar. Siddalingaiah gave many hits in a film career (22 Kannada and a Tamil film) spanning about three decades. He directed his first full-fledged film — ‘Mayor Muthanna’ in 1969. Rajkumar donned the protagonist’s role in this film and thus started a collaboration with the veteran thespian. In 1972, the filmmaker’s ‘Bangaaradha Manushya’ turned out to be a blockbuster and it ran for nearly two years in theatres. Making films with rural and social themes was his forte. His notable films include ‘Baalu Belagithu’, ‘Namma Samsaara’, ‘Nyave Devaru’, ‘Doorada Betta’ and ‘Hemavathi’ among others.

Parallel films like ‘Kaadu’ (1973) and ‘Ankur’ (1974), and mainstream films like ‘Sampattige Savaal’ (1974) had several dimensions of rural life. Such films may have had an influence on the production of ‘Bhootayyana Maga Ayyu’. The film is about a landlord and a money lender, Bhootayya (M P Shankar) and his son Ayyu (Lokesh) belonging to the upper class and caste. They indulge in exploiting and usurping lands of small farmers. Gulla (Vishunuvardhan) tries to take the bull by its horns. In the film, the resistance that starts at a personal level extends to the community level. Yet it cannot be termed as a class resistance against feudalism. There might have been two reasons behind this approach of the director. One, he may have stuck to the original story and two, he may have desisted from taking cinematic liberties. Besides the above, the author of the original story was a Gandhian who may have ended his story based on the principle of self-transformation, a cardinal facet of Gandhian philosophy.

‘Bhootayyana Maga Ayyu’ is a mainstream film having ingredients of popular cinema like melodrama, songs, humour, fights and rituals. It occupies a position of prominence in the sphere of successful mainstream Kannada films.