“Mainstream Indian films focus on the elite savarnas, not the true stories of Dalits” | Mumbai News

What inspired you to explore the subject of Chaitya Bhoomi in your film?

Mainstream Indian cinema, especially Bollywood, does not portray the true stories of our people.

Historically, Bollywood has focused solely on the stories of the elite savarnas (upper castes). I don’t think Indian films focus on stories of SC, ST, OBC or the country’s historical marginal settlements.

Even the few stories depicting Dalit life focus solely on manual scavenging and the various atrocities faced by the community. In my film, I wanted to break this narrative. I wanted to portray that there are several incidents of self-assertion in the lives of Dalits, and the Mahaparinirvan incident is one of them. Therefore, I thought I would bring up this topic.

How would you describe the legacy of Mahaparinirvan Day?

My film focuses on the legacy of Mahaparinirvan day. After the death of their leader, his followers, often from the economically weaker sections of society due to the caste system, flock to Mumbai from all over the country. During the Mahaparinirvan era, you can see how Ambedkar’s legacy continues through music, books, literature, calendars and monuments.

What did you observe while shooting Mahaparinirvan Din? What is the general mood and atmosphere when hundreds of thousands of people arrive?

I started shooting this movie in 2019. To document this event, I started visiting Chaitya Bhoomi from the end of November until Mahaparinirvan day. Shivaji Park is a public place and I noticed that the local residents were not very welcoming to this event. It was learned that around December 6, several people left the town due to the large influx of tourists. They believe the park is theirs. However, it is a public place.

Ambedkar’s home Rajgruha is also located in the Hindu colony of Dadar and his office is near Dadar railway station. He lived in Dadar and after his death in 1956, his last rites were performed there.

Dr. Ambedkar is the only such leader in the entire world, and hundreds of thousands of his followers have gathered in cities without any invitation to pay their respects. In addition to people from Karnataka, Kerala, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, devotees from Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Myanmar also visit Chaichaphum.

Considering the number of book stalls set up in Shivaji Park, this is also the largest book festival in the country. According to official records, as many as 100 billion books were sold during the Mahaparinirvan event.

What is the history of Chaitya Bhoomi?

Chaitya Bhoomi is a monument built by the people for the community of Dr BR Ambedkar despite attempts to dilute his memory. The building was built on land donated by members of the OBC community.

Chaitya Bhoomi is a Buddhist name symbolizing the fact that Dr. Ambedkar publicly converted to the Buddhist faith in Nagpur in the year of his death.

Your movie debuted in America today. Will your film be screened during Mahaparinirvan Din in Chaichaphum?

Last month, we held the first screening of Chaichavumi at the London School of Economics (LSE). Nine years after Nagraj Manjur’s ‘Fandry’, which focused on caste-based discrimination, was screened at Columbia University, Chaichabhumi was also screened here (Columbia University).

Interestingly, both these universities have played an important role in Ambedkar’s life as he completed his master’s and PhD degrees from Columbia University and at the same time his second PhD from LSE. Because of this connection, Ambedkar’s followers and anti-caste scholars also hold these universities in great esteem.

As I am currently traveling in the US, I will not be showing the film on Mahaparinirvan Day. Once I return, I plan to screen the film across India.