Kantara: Caught in cultural crossfire

When I was an English teacher, I hated ‘explaining’ stories and poems. The endless struggle to read symbolism into simple ideas and link playful references to stultifying politics were painful processes that took the joy out of reading poems. The process is similar to cutting up a frog to see what makes it work; in the end, a lot of time has been wasted, there are a bunch of theories, and you’ve killed the frog. I had to constantly remind the students, and myself too, that the writer/poet simply expressed himself, not realising that one day his/her writing would become a lesson in the 8th grade textbook.

I find the same has become true of the movie Kantara. I watched the movie, thoroughly enjoyed myself, came back, ate lunch, and took a nap. However, it appears that most critics and talking heads began taking apart the movie as soon as they got to a laptop. The dissection of the frog had begun.

First, the word Hinduism came up, and there was a collective gasp across the media. Half-assed debates on what predated the origin of the Hindu religion began sprouting everywhere. And then I read something about the movie encouraging superstition.

Oh, come on! We Indians are a superstitious lot, and we don’t need anything to encourage it. If at all, superstition is part of the Indian narrative. Growing up, I used to be petrified when people would spontaneously start shaking and shouting gibberish during temple festivals. The elders would say, ‘God has entered them.’ I relived it with vicarious pleasure when I saw it in the movie.

What about all the rainbow-coloured threads that we tie around our wrists? What about people sacrificing livestock at festivals or performing strange rituals so that their prayers will be heard? Haven’t these aspects of our culture existed for thousands of years? Are we going to start attacking each other based on our ideas of when they came to be? That too, on the basis of what is shown in a movie?

To me, the movie just mirrored what a lot of us see and do. In fact, I recommend that, since Kantara is doing so well, Rishab Shetty and his family go to a temple priest and get the ‘evil eye’ removed.

Now, if you truly want to take apart and examine the storylines in order to take away ‘lessons’, here are some really important themes that are crying out for your attention.

First, the fact that many tribal societies still lack education, modern amenities, and connectivity. None of the kitchens shown had a gas stove, there were no roads to speak of, and only one girl had managed to get an education. Anything to notice or write about? Yes, but not as divisive as religion, right?

Next, feudalism and exploitation of tribal people still go on. The practise of giving liquor and loans to trap simple people and keep them subjugated is still rife in many parts of India, where the dwellers do not own the land of their ancestors. Very relevant, yes. But, bo…ring!

Now for a very pertinent question: forest preservation and animal conservation. People who depend on the forest will obtain their resources from there unless they get it from elsewhere. Therefore, forest habitats will continue to be destroyed unless people are shown other ways in which to take care of their daily needs. Cutting trees, foraging, and hunting by people who live near forests will continue until conservation efforts begin to include them in meaningful ways, creating win-win situations. But is anybody talking about it after watching
Kantara?

There are more parts of the frog that can be hacked, but I’m ending with one important point. Some wise scientist once stated that the cures for all diseases that plagued mankind were in the forests. The forests of the Western Ghats are home to all kinds of herbs and medicinal plants, and many tribal and village healers know about them. However, there is no serious effort made to learn, record, grow, or nurture this knowledge. In the movie, a woman talks about a plant whose leaves can make hair grow luxuriantly. Hey, if you could get hold of that plant and it really works, it will prove a gold mine for our country. But not one of the ‘Cognoscenti’ even remarked about it. Why? Because nobody is going to go ballistic or take out a morcha for it.

A debate about the Bhootha Kola is not wrong, as long as it is civil, respectful, and sensible. But let’s not destroy a simple, beautifully made piece of art by hacking at it for our ’15 minutes of fame’. Let’s not forget to simply enjoy watching the frog!

(The author is a freelance writer)