He grew up “as a pretty average Indian kid” who” liked cricket, movies and Gandhi.” His family was prospering and so, it seemed, was democratic India itself. Eventually, he left for the US so he could get “a fancy education.” Now, he is on his way home to see what is happening to India during the 2019 national elections.
This is the premise for Don’t Worry About India, the new feature documentary from Nama Filmcollective which has been screening this week in the National Film Competition at Visions Du Réel. The film is both playful and provocative. It is structured as a travelogue/home movie. During the 2019 Indian elections, the narrator travels the country, speaking to everyone from his well-off relatives to drivers, cleaners and farm workers.
Interviewed by Business Doc Europe, the narrator won’t reveal his name (in the credits it is given as Arjun Jr) or very much about the Nama Filmcollective, which was founded in 2019 as a collaboration between Indian and European artists.
What is clear, though, is that the documentary was made through Zurich-based Catpics. Other partners include German outfit Tamtam Film and, also from Zurich, SRF Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen.
“Well, the most basic reason is to capture this moment in history. You can just smell the change in the air,” the narrator says of why the film was made. “There was something going on. That was the first impulse, just to capture this moment in history. There were no preconceptions or agendas attached to that. Nor was there a concrete idea of what kind of film it would be…initially, we were talking to more or less random people. We soon realised it was much more interesting to talk to people within the family and within the social circle.”
The idea was for the narrator’s family to act as a microcosm of India as a whole. The documentary features everybody from wealthy relatives to caddies, chauffeurs and cooks.
Some old traditions still persist.
“Of course, the caste system is very much present in India today although you might not see it so much in urban India, but [it is] there in how people interact and who they choose to marry,” the narrator notes of one aspect of Indian life which is explored in sequences set on a family farm. “Most families who are upper caste take it for granted that you have certain privileges based on your caste.”
When it comes to politics, the country is very divided. The film reveals many shades of opinion. Friendly conversations which touch on political subjects can very quickly flare up into huge arguments.
The BJP’s Narendra Modi, who has been Prime-Minister since 2014, has huge popular support but is also regarded with loathing by some sections of the population who deplore his human rights record and constant attacks on the country’s Muslim population. “India always likes strong men or strong women – leaders with autocratic tendencies. We’ve always had a thing for that. [But] I think an artist or intellectual would be a little bit sceptical of someone who behaves like that,” the narrator reflects.
India has always had protest movements. One of the most vociferous groups currently is the farmers. Through their campaigns, they’ve persuaded the government to repeal some very controversial new agriculture laws that the farmers felt would slash their earnings.
The documentary acknowledges the many competing political agendas but does so in a playful and personal way. “We really wanted to craft a film that was also cinematically strong, You could say it’s a political film but really it’s also full of filmic characters,” the narrator suggests. He cites US documentary maker Ross McElwee (director of 1985 film Sherman’s March) as one of the influences behind the picaresque approach. “On the one hand, it is about you and your own thoughts. On the other hand, it is about the world around you.”
Don’t Worry About India may seem deeply personal but the documentary makers are actually using the “narrator” as a tool to “connect” the different characters and strands of the narrative.
What’s more, it may be a political movie but it has a strong strain of humour.
“I feel the paradoxes of India are present within these people,” the narrator reflects on the film’s very colourful gallery of characters. “They are patriots. They love this country but they can also laugh at the absurdities of it. I think this ultimately is what gives the film its strength and identity.”
Everybody, he suggests, likes a good joke. “imagine if this was a very serious film about politics. There are a lot of films like that. It might be didactic or boring but I think really what drives us is characters. We look for those kind of people who offer that humour and we complemented it with our own humour from off camera. Let’s be honest, India is very divided, messed up and so on – but also you can’t help but laugh at certain things. That is just the nature of our society. It [the documentary] is about conveying this feeling of how it feels to be Indian. The film kind of gets that across. It’s hard to get that across especially to a non-Indian audience.”
