Empower, don’t patronise, says insightful short film

Punith Sakya, the director of ‘Aadu Aaneya Nungi’ which won at BISFF last week talks about writing the film and how he came to direct films

Kannada short film Aadu Aaneya Nungi (When the Goat Swallowed the Elephant) directed by Punith Sakya won the first prize in Karnataka Competition at the Bengaluru International Short Film Festival (BISFF) last week. The 20-minute short also received critical appreciation from the audience.

The film’s title is a line from Saint Shishunala Sharif’s poem Kodagana Koli Nungitta (Hen swallowed the monkey). The poem is a surreal presentation of how something that may appear small and naive has the ability to hold its own in this world. Punith’s film presents this idea through his characters — a daily-wage worker and a privileged old man who employs him.

Yallappa, a daily-wage worker, is adamant about charging Rs 750 for his work but ends up not getting hired. It is only a wealthy old man who agrees to meet his demand. Yallappa’s job is to water two potted plants everyday and spend time with the old man. While he is happy with the new job, a sense of realisation dawns upon him. He starts feeling worthless.

While most films today depend on upper caste or upper class saviour complexes to reign in the plot, the director of ‘Aadu Aaneya Nungi’ presents it in a different light. He showcases the thin line that exists between empowering and patronising an individual.

Punith observed labourers waiting for someone to pick them up for work near his house in Mudalapalya. He was often puzzled as to where they took them and what their days entailed. “Most of them would never even ask what the job was,” he says.

“Social imbalance is prevalent everywhere — in our homes, workplaces, everywhere. Although we talk about equality, we tend to patronise the other person based on their physical appearance or their social presence. It is a grey area,” he shares what led him to make the film.

On how not to make it preachy

When Punith pitched the idea to his writing group, Flaunge Writers’ Block, the members warned him about how it could get preachy. “I knew it would get preachy and one-sided if I wrote it on my own. I realised I will need someone who can act as a spectator in the writing process,” reveals Punith. He collaborated with Kiran Kumar K R on the film’s screenplay. The process took about four months.

They observed behavioural patterns of people around them — both the elite and the working class. The scenes including the game of betel nuts, Yallappa running on a treadmill and looking at a rag-picker were added in the screenplay to depict the changing graph of the character.

Finance as a challenge

Like most independent filmmakers, Punith too faced challenges regarding the film’s finances. “My idea was to make a 30-minute film but the financiers told me to reduce it to 10 minutes,” he laughs. But with just a 10-minute runtime, Punith felt he wouldn’t be able to convey the essence of the story. Unable to find financial aid, he gave up on the project. Soon his friends working in IT companies, and Utsav Gonwar (of ‘Photo’ fame) pitched in to invest in the film. “I also had some savings,” he adds.  

Stage to screen

Academics did not interest Punith who is from Hangal in Haveri district. Instead, he was curious about art and theatre. After school, he went to learn theatre in Ninasam, Heggodu. He worked in a number of theatre groups as an actor and a director.  

As he practised theatre, he developed an interest in photography. He soon found himself learning about the “language of cinema”. Punith worked in projects like ‘Ondalla Eradalla’ (2018), ‘GPS’ (a short film by Raghunandan Kaanadka) and a yet to be released feature film, to adapt himself to the camera, and move on from theatre. “It was initially difficult because the entire approach is different in cinema,” shares Punith. Along with Raghunandan and Kiran Kumar and a few others, Punith started a writing company called Flaunge Writers’ Block and began working towards honing his writing skills. He has also worked on the recent Cannes winner ‘Sunflowers Were the First Ones To Know’ (directed by Chidananda S Naik), and was on the writing team of Punith Rajkumar’s ‘Gandhada Gudi’ and a few web series which are yet to take off.

He has also donned the hat of an acting coach. He trained child artiste Rohith Pandavapura in ‘Ondalla Eradalla’ for which the child won the ‘best child artist award’ at the 66th National Film Awards.