Chaitanya Tamhane/Feature film/2014/116 mins/Marathi, Gujarati, Hindi and English with English subtitles
Synopsis
The dead body of a sewer cleaner is found in a Mumbai manhole. An ageing Dalit activist and mass singer is charged with abetting suicide based on the fiery content of one of his song lyrics, which allegedly may have incited the worker to take his own life. The ensuing trial is drawn out through procedural delays and excuses, and meanders through the absurdities of coached witnesses, arcane colonial legal practices and institutional incompetencies. This Kafkaesque chaos of a low-level court acts as a backdrop to explore the complex personal lives of judge, prosecution and defense alike. The director moves between tragedy and comedy, working with a cast of professional and un-trained actors alike, to bring his dark yet humanist portrait of the Indian justice system to life.
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About the director
This is the first feature film from Mumbai-born director Chaitanya Tamhane. He has worked extensively in theatre and previously directed a documentary, Four Step Plan, about Bollywood’s plagiarism practices, and a short film, Six Strands based on the life of a Darjeeling tea garden owner. He is a self-taught artist who has managed to sidestep the commercial film industry of his home city in achieving international recognition.
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Credits:
Writer and Director: Chaitanya Tamhane
Producer: Vivek Gomber
Line Producer: Kishor Sawant
Executive Producer: B S Narayanaswamy
Cinematography: Mrinal Desai
Production Design: Somnath Pal and Pooja Talreja
Editor: Rikhav Desai
Music: Sabhaji Bhagat
Cast:
Vira Sathidar; Vivek Gomber; Geetanjali Kulkarni; Pradeep Joshi; Usha Bane; Shirish Pawar