Mitti: breaking new ground in Punjabi film industry
Amrita Chaudhry Posted online: Friday , Jan 22, 2010 at 0339 hrs
Ludhiana : Choosing a Dalit character as one of the four main
characters of a film would not be a normal choice for a Punjabi film
which has always seen a "Jatt' as its main hero.
But then breaking new ground, chemical engineer-turned-film director
Jatinder Mahuar has done just that in his next film, Mitti, where a
dalit youth (mahjbi to be more specific and played by actor Victor
John) boy named Tunda forms a group of four friends whereas the rest
come from upper castes. Mitti, which is produced by Eros, was released
on January 8.
Jatinder, who hails from a small village Khamano, chucked his job in
2002 to "search for what I really wanted to do. So for the next two
years, I just roamed about, met up the youth who like me are always
facing the wrath of the society for being drug addicts or crazy to go
abroad. It is here that Mitti was born. During this time, I attended a
workshop by National School of Drama read major authors and finally
decided what I wanted to do."
After establishing his name in directing music videos, Jatinder began
"Mitti," which takes up issues like the plight of a landless labourer,
Dalit oppression and above all who a Jatt is. "I am a Jatt by caste
but I do not consider myself one for Jatt is a person who tills the
land and not the one who lives in cities. This film is about the
farmer who is under immense debt and finds suicide the only way out of
his miseries. He is also a Jatt. When we talk of land, Jatt character
comes to mind but Dalits also form an integral part of this structure
and cannot be left out ever. For me, my father, who has just five
acres back in the village and tills it with his own hands is the
Jatt."
"This film is not a sermonizing kind because for me my audience is
like a group of friends and through this film I am sharing a dialogue
with my audience. I really want the youth of Punjab to see this film
and while it may sound arty but I can assure you that the film is
commercial to the core and will keep one glued to his or her seat,"
says Jatinder.
When asked how does he place his film amid an environment where NRI
hero ruled the roost, Jatinder says, "The general perception that
Manomahn Singh-Harbhajan Mann duo revived Punjabi cinema is not
completely true. Films like Sahheede Mohabbat, Mahual Theek Hai and
Shaheed Udham Singh , three films from completely different genres,
brought in good Punjabi cinema which was completely missing before
them. And so while my hero may not be an NRI but my film will carve a
niche for itself."
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