JOIN USKya Hua Is Shahar Ko, a documentary by Deepa Dhanraj, was recently screened at the Bangalore International Centre. The audience took an active interest in the subject.
The film documents the conflict between two communities and the following struggle that takes place in Hyderabad. The director also captures the violence and power struggle that give rise to the hatred and violence between these two communities.
Made almost 27 years ago, the film has been restored and this was the first time that it was screened after the completion of the restoration process. “Given a chance, I would want to re-edit and change many things in the film. But the film now has a historic and archival value and it is not possible to make those changes anymore. I learnt a lot while making and editing this film and one thing that still stays with me is the fact that as a film-maker, I have to move people,” explains Deepa.
What was noteworthy was the audience’s keenness to know more about every aspect of the film. There were a few people among the audience who had been a part of the incidents and they added to the interactive session with their inputs and observations.Chandrashekhar, a member of the audience, was one of them. “There are many things that do not come to light when there is communal violence. Since I was there when these cases of violence erupted, I saw many things which were never talked about and were buried in the pages of history. The documentary has been successful in bringing forth a part of what took place,” he says.
Many young film students and documentary makers were also a part of the audience and the interactive session saw the youngsters chipping in with their ideas and thoughts. Many also asked the director questions such as how she chose what to depict. “I had to be clear on the stand that I am taking. I had an opinion on what was happening — it was not a reportage and I knew what I wanted to portray,” notes Deepa. Abhilash, a young member of the audience, felt that the documentary gives a lot of insight into the present condition of Hyderabad as well. “We can relate the past condition of the city to the present. I also liked the way the documentary has been shot,” he sums up.