Nandita: ‘Zwigato’ reflects the tussle between man and algorithms

Nandita Das, the acclaimed filmmaker, is in the news for her latest 'Zwigato', a film on the life of delivery boys across the nation. The film, with a universal connect, is doing rounds at international film festivals, and gathering overwhelming reactions for its thought-provoking treatment. Das has answered these question from Toronto, Canada, where she showed the film at the Toronto International Film Festival.

What triggered the idea of this film? Also, I find the interesting title Zwigato, a mix of swiggy and zomato.

During the pandemic, we consumers, for our own convenience, became more and more dependent on the gig workers and less and less aware of their struggle. The film is about many small things that are hidden in plain sight. Very few films are made these days about urban workers that have become an inevitable part of our world. Apart from the film being about the life of a gig worker, Zwigato is also about our normalized biases of class, caste, and gender. They have all subtly found their way into the film, making the invisible, visible. The idea of this film started with a discussion about growing unemployment and the complexity of gig work with my publisher friend Samir Patil. We then began writing a short film about a day in the life of a delivery rider. Then Sameer (Nair), CEO of Applause Entertainment, who was to produce it, nudged me to expand it for a feature film. Initially I felt the subject would not immerse me enough, but as I began to delve deeper into it, I was drawn to the human aspects of this collision of new technology and the life of the workers, who are just a cog-in-the-wheel. Also I began exploring what impact all this has on the family, especially the wife. With the rise of the gig economy, the struggle between man and machine that Chaplin depicted in Modern Times has now shifted to one between man and Algorithms.

Zwigato is a story of new urban India and the relentlessness of life, but not without its moments of joy. When I was writing, I just fictionalised the name of the food delivery app. It
did have influences from the real world, as most things do. Sameer felt that it had the intrigue and a ring to it for it to be a cool title for the film! But what has been most heart-
warming is the response to the trailer. People are able to connect with it. Gig economy workers are saying it is completely their story. What more can I want!

From the trailer, it looks like your story comes from the zomato incident of a resident slapping a guy and the drama thereof, and few delivery boys’ videos gone viral for eating food from the boxes, mid-way. Do they play a role somewhere in the film.?

For me, the film is a work of fiction, based on a thousand true stories. When the attempt is to show a mirror to our society, where else will I take the stories from? For me, fiction is as
real as you make it. Whether what I show has happened to any person is immaterial, but can it happen? Is it believable or not is important. Is the portrayal of characters and
incidents authentic to that world is what counts. So while it is inspired from many stories we heard and read about, it is not at all based on any one incident or event.

How was it speaking to gig workers? What went into the research of the film?

Before starting the film, I understood the world of incentives and algorithms as little as my protagonist did! So the research process for this film was very detailed and took about two
years. We gathered facts as well as personal stories by interviewing many riders. Their struggles, dilemma, fears and aspirations helped me understand their world closely. We also
spoke to ex-employees of food delivery companies and in confidence, also with senior managers in analytics departments of food delivery apps. These conversations enabled us to
understand the shifts that are made in the app and algorithms and the thought process behind such changes. While all of it is not in the film, it was important to understand how
things work in the gig economy. We read several articles, watched videos that riders had posted and followed some of them on social media.

We also had to adapt our script to the changing rules of the food delivery apps, right up until the shoot. Also some of the rules differ from city to city. So I had to keep a close watch
on how things worked in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, where the film is set. It is in a more neglected part of the country but one of the fastest growing cities which has been declared a smart city. I wanted to ensure that I was true to the facts that existed there. The real challenge was how to translate all this statistical information to tell a human story. Finally that is what the viewer connects with. The mind and heart must come together for a film to really impact the viewer in a deeper way.

Was the film shot on real locations?

Yes, fully! I have never liked sets and I feel real locations have an authenticity that is unmatched. We shot it in Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha. My father is from Odisha, but
I am always mistaken to be a Bengali. Mainly because people know so little about this culturally-rich place that is greener and has better infrastructure than most cities. So when I was thinking of setting my story in a 2-tier city, I thought of Bhubaneswar. It was a delight to shoot there. The city itself is an important character in the film, as the food delivery rider is crisscrossing the length and breadth of it every single day. Since most have not seen Bhubaneswar, it is visually refreshing and yet it seems familiar. The city is unique in the way that it has big wide roads lined with trees like Central Delhi, and also narrower streets and galis in the old temple town with local hawkers. It has small old style photo studios and also big malls and high-rise buildings, providing visually diverse locations. What also makes this city unique are the public wall paintings which are beautifully painted all over the city. India is not just Delhi, Mumbai, UP, and Punjab, where many films are set in, but also other parts of the country that are seldom seen. Hope this opens doors to many other shootings in the state and people will explore other hidden gems. People in smaller cities are simple and very helpful. I don’t think we would have the ease we had shooting with Kapil had we shot it one of the usual suspects.

What are your takeaways from making a film so different from other genres you have tried as a filmmaker as well as an actor?

There are so many stories to be told, so many different parts of the country to be explored and so much talent to be tapped. Every film is bound to be different as it explores different
contexts, different human predicaments. And I am glad that I am being able to bring in that diversity to my work, though my concerns remain the same. I realised, how much of the particular and peculiar about our current moment can be revealed by simply following 4 days in the life of a food delivery person. This story of new urban India has many subtle layers. After all nothing exists in silos. These days one doesn’t see enough stories about workers. They are vanishing from our collective narratives. The comments and feedback just to the trailer reflects that there is a palpable need for such stories. So I am glad I was being able to tell this story.

With Kapil Sharma around, there must be room for comedy...

We all have preconceived notions and come with the baggage of labelling people or films based on our biases. It was never a comedy and I didn’t change a single line to accommodate his public persona. Instead, he stepped into the shoes of the character, as any actor should do. I think it is important that people view films with an open mind as only then they will see what is intended. If they come with their own predetermined views, they are limiting their own experiences. In Toronto, it was refreshing to see how some of the audience that came expecting Kapil’s comedy, slowly got sucked into the world of the film and came out feeling moved and impacted by what the film was trying to say. And there is situational humour but just as there are other emotions. It is life-like where many different human emotions co-exist.

Kapil Sharma, your film’s hero is an interesting choice for his inherent sense of humour. How was it working with him?

Before I cast Kapil, I hadn’t even seen his show, as I haven’t had a TV or any of the channels on my devices. But once I thought of him, I watched some snippets online and found his
honesty, simplicity, and candour perfect for the character. And so, I reached out to him on an impulse, not fully knowing if he would be right for the part or if he would be open to
doing a film that is not a comedy. He promptly responded. And then we had many interactions and rehearsals that convinced me that he would perfectly represent the
common man that he no longer was in real life! It was a big change for him, in every possible way. He drew a lot from his life before he moved to Mumbai and into the world of television. We come from very different worlds, but at the core connected with such ease. We are quick at labelling people – Nandita Das is a serious person and Kapil Sharma, a comedian. I am always asked serious questions and he, funny ones. But it is not that he doesn’t have serious concerns and don’t have a funny bone in my body!

Having worked with Shahana in Firaaq and knowing her through the years, I knew she was the perfect choice for Pratima. She and Kapil fit perfectly as a couple in terms of their energy and presence. They also had a wonderful working relationship that only added to their performances. There are three cameos by known actors that will be shared as we get closer to the release. I have always shamelessly gone to actors who I think are right for the role. And I am grateful that actors have agreed to do even smallest of characters. As they say, there are no small parts, only small actors. But all other actors (and non-actors) are from Bhubaneswar. Many had never faced the camera. I cast a lot of people who belonged to that context. For instance, the owner of the small photo studio plays himself. I adapted the dialogues in a way that he felt comfortable saying. Characters speak the language they would naturally speak. Subtitles make it easier for us to do that.

How has been the response for the film at film festivals?

Zwigato had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival only recently. And as I mentioned before, the response was very moving. Early next month we go to screen at
the most prestigious Asian film festival, the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF). Having been to so many festivals in the last 26 years, both as an actor and a director, I can say with
confidence that the reaction to a film tells me more about the person than the film. The film is what it is – good, bad, ugly. And I am my biggest critic. But when we watch a film, we
connect to different aspects of it based on our own life experiences. A friend, who I know is very sensitive, wrote to me after the film, “It is harder to make a film about seemingly normal everyday things and get us to see them in a fresh light. Zwigato is so real. It challenges us to feel so many emotions, all together, like we do in life. Zwigato asks more of the viewer than most films do.” And a documentary filmmaker sent me a message, “Zwigato is a deeply compassionate, acutely observed story that is nuanced and multi-layered. I found it deeply moving and loved the film at many levels” These are people I respect so their connecting with the film means a lot to me. But I am also aware that everybody may not feel this way. I never read my reviews or comments, except for the ones that come to me directly, as I don’t want to be impacted by praise or criticism. The film is the best I could do in the given circumstances. Once the film is done, it belongs to the viewer. It is not for me to judge their response, one way or another, as it has less to do with the film and more to do what life experiences and exposures they come with.

Of late there has been so much noise about Boycott Bollywood. How do you react to it?

Cinema is a reflection of society. People who make films bring with them their biases and prejudices, their fears and aspirations. And films reflect the realities of the times. So if there
is polarisation in society, it is bound to be reflected in the work that is happening. I am a bit Voltairian in how I feel about censorship. He said, “I do not agree with what you have to
say, but I shall defend to the death your right to say it.” I feel similarly about freedom of expression. If I want freedom to say things a certain way, I must respect others’ right to say
it their way. We can agree to disagree! I prefer speaking through my work and instead of focusing on what others should or should not be doing, I want to see how some of us can
make films that can make the world more compassionate and less divisive. And for that we need to support each other.

What are your final thoughts on Zwigato?

I am extremely happy that we started our Zwigato journey at TIFF. It means a lot to me personally, as I have debuted at TIFF both as an actor and director, with Fire and Firaaq, respectively. Over the years, several other films have taken me to the festival, including Manto in 2018. While the story of Zwigato is set in India, I was happy to see how the universality of the theme resonated with the discerning and diverse audience that the festival attracts. I make films because I itch to say something, and so the more people it reaches, the happier I am! Now we will soon be off to Busan. But what I am most looking Forward to is to show it to the audiences in the country. To the gig economy workers, whose story it is.