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Book Review
Non-fiction cinematic work
S. THEODORE BASKARAN
FROM RAJ TO SWARAJ — The Non-Fiction Film in India: B. D. Garga; Penguin/Viking, 11, Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi-110017. Rs. 695.
Filmmaker and writer B.D.Garga has written this book about an important but often forgotten dimension of the film history in India — the non-fiction films. Documentaries, newsreel and actuality material that merely records an event, like a surgery, come under this rubric. In fact, the very first films of Lumiere brothers were actuality material, such as “Arrival of Train”. Being a film scholar, Garga understands the nature and possibilities of cinema as d
emonstrated in his earlier work The Art of Cinema and writes with conviction. Thus in many ways this is a pioneering work.
Beginning with early silent shorts, like “Delhi Durbar’ (1902), he covers a wide canvas, up to Rakesh Sharma’s “Final Solution” (2003) on the Gujarat communal carnage. Garga meticulously traces the documentary movement in India from its earliest days devoting closer attention to the Raj period. These films are important visual records and valuable source material for historians.
History
The attitude of the government towards cinema in India has been ambivalent throughout. The recommendations of the various committees created to look into the film industry have been mothballed. Garga traces this story up to the Mumbai International Film Festival, begun in 1990, for non-fiction films and the controversy sparked off by the later decision of the government to censor the films screened here. Films can be used effectively for creating awareness on issues and causes. They can be a powerful ideological tool. In the chapter “Dissent and Dissonance” the author discusses the works of filmmakers such as Anand Patwardhan and Deepa Dhanraj. They began using short films against communalism and fundamentalism. He writes about Mediastorm, a cinema production outfit created by a group of women filmmakers. Their first film was “In Secular India”, which looked at the Muslim Women’s Bill.
Documentaries
From 1940, the British government in India set up Information Films of India, which produced a number of important documentaries and shorts. In independent India, the government formed the Films Division which, in the hands of the bureaucrats, soon became a mouthpiece of the government. Yet, many memorable works came out through this unit, including films by Mani Kaul and Arun Kopkar. Many independent filmmakers also made important documentaries. Sukhdev made one on the Bhoodan movement. A film on Kaveri was made by P.V. Pathy in 1953. These works can now be made available in DVD format for students. Many good works came out of this organisation. Foreign filmmakers who made non-fiction films on India have also been written about. Louise Mall who made “Calcutta” and Roberto Rossellini who made “India” figure in the book. Their influence on aspiring filmmakers in India has been considerable.
Many cinemas
One factor film historians have to keep in mind is that there are so many cinemas in India. Next to Hindi cinema, Tamil and Telugu cinemas have produced thousands of films. Hundred of documentaries were produced here even during the Silent era and later also. Garga does not mention them though they have all been recorded in the Indian Cinematograph Committee Report of 1927. When the German destroyer Emden bombed Madras in 1914, the destruction was filmed by A. Narayanan. Garga however talks about the 11-reeler Tamil documentary produced by A.K.Chettiar in 1940. But he does not give the name of the film which is “Mahatma Gandhi”. Garga is wrong when he says that the film was banned by the British. It had a full run all over Madras presidency and was never banned. Thus Garza’s book is Mumbai-centred. Omitted also are the works of wildlife filmmakers many of whom have won international acclaim.
The book is impressively organised, complete with a useful bibliography. However, the omission of the special issue of Marg on Indian documentary, for which Garga has contributed, is surprising. It is a valuable source for this topic. Thoughtfully an index to films also has been provided, along with the general index.
Some rare photographs, such as Robert Flaherty filming “Elephant Boy” in Mysore, the protest to Simon Commission and Aurobindo Ghosh addressing a crowd during the partition of Bengal in 1905 add to the value of the book.
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