The tramps of Indian cinema
Taru Bahl

The recent PSBT Open Frame Festival sought more platforms for the survival of documentary films

The Ageless Tramp was screened as part of the PSBT’s film festival

The controversial documentary film 2016 is neither the mouthpiece of a political party nor backed by a Hollywood movie studio. Directed by Dinesh D’Souza, president of King’s College, New York, it has raked in more than $6.5 million and has been among the top 10 boxoffice hits since its release in July 2012. The movie is a triumph for documentary filmmakers all over the world, demonstrating how a documentary film can make money, reach the masses through a public broadcast medium, and most importantly, air an independent view of the in-power President, regardless of how authentic or credible its claims and facts are.

Indian documentary filmmakers, by contrast, continue to struggle on all fronts. Finding a platform for their films, and then, to make the eligibility cut at international television channels and auditoriums or multiplexes is certainly not a cakewalk. According to Rajiv Mehrotra, Chairman of the Public Services Broadcasting Trust, an independent, not-for-profit organisation managed by trustees that include Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Mrinal Sen, Shyam Benegal, Aruna Vasudev and Sharmila Tagore, among others, “one-third of the films that come to us are good, another one-third passable and the remaining not worth airing.”

While a documentary film will be evaluated in terms of content and treatment, he feels that not always does a film have to endorse a strong socially relevant message. “That should not be the over-riding emotion. What should be, is a passion to say something through the cinematic medium — something that has emanated from a rigorous process of discussion, debate, thinking, exploring, research and validation of facts,” he says, adding, “technology does play a role which is why many of our films do not find their way to international broadcast platforms”.

More than 20 films were screened at the 12th edition of the PSBT Open Frame Festival held recently. The PSBT has been holding the annual festival for 12 years, showcasing films that cover themes that run the entire gamut of freedom, diversity, gender, environment, conflict, HIV/AIDS, democracy, sexuality, livelihood and urbanisation. They have made the process of selection, commissioning and screening simple. By doing away with giving bank guarantees, it’s a lot easier for cash-strapped students, straight out of say FTII, to still go ahead and make a film and let it see the light of day. The PSBT also did away with the need to submit elaborate concept notes, proposals and scripts. All they now ask for is a simple two-pager. This is evaluated by a team of three experts and the feedback shared with the film maker.

The Women in Blue Berets, a documentary about a female peacekeeping unit, was recently commissioned by the PSBT

“Instead of telling the person, we want this, for we would then be urging him to make a PSBT film, we leave it to his creative judgment.” If he agrees, he is duly mentored, to the extent it does not impinge on his freedom of expression.

According to Mehrotra, documentary films by virtue of being realistic accounts of everyday life, strike a chord with audiences whose tastes have most certainly matured. But in the absence of more popular mediums of dissemination, the government will have to step in to make more visible space. Prasar Bharti must allow for a weekly slot on prime time, private channels must be governed by some guidelines on broadcasting public content and more monies must be allocated for top-of-the-heap films with potential for gripping the collective imagination and sensibilities of a global audience, are some of his strong suggestions.

Asked whether social media can play a role in allowing small budget independent film makers reach a larger audience, Mehrotra says sardonically, “Well, if you can make broadband work beyond e-mail and Facebook and let streaming happen not just in the capital but across the country, sure it will work.”

Clearly, till that happens, more platforms are needed and the government has to mop up more support for the documentary film genre to thrive. Exceptions like Anand Patwardhan, one of India’s most visible documentary filmmakers exist but largely because they have taken the initiative to push their films using their own personal money. That cannot be the model for most other film makers.

“PSBT started as an embryonic effort and has remained one, since the larger vision of seeing many more PSBTs bloom, did not quite happen,” says Mehrotra.

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