Summer 2007 in IFFI, 2008


A FILM BASED ON FARMER SUICIDES


Summer 2007, is a film which seeks to explore with deep humanism, the fascinating coming together of India's cool, happening youth with the Agrarian Crisis that is threatening to spiral out of control.

Atul Pandey Produced and Suhail Tatari Directed film Summer 2007 starring Sikander Kher, Ashutosh Rana, Gul Panag, Arjan Bajwa and Uvika Chaudhary has been selected for the Indian Panorama section of the 39th International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

The film is about a group of young medical students who land up in a village in rural Maharashtra struck by farmer suicide and how the new surroundings change their outlook towards life and society.

Atul Pandey, the producer of the film gets emotional at this development. He says that this sense of contentment has arrived to him four months after the release of the film. “When the film was released in June this year, it was unfortunate that the entire trade fraternity refused to notice it, frivolous media ignored the importance of the subject and harped about small little things which they didn’t like.
It is rather funny that film critics view and write about the films based on its box office appeal and they mercilessly write off a film which they perceive will not celebrate at the box office. Trust me, Suhail (director) and I have faced horrendous times, it felt as if we were erased from the surface of the planet. Our hard work, our sensitivity, our credibility, our sweat and blood and our perseverance, whatever we had earned in so many years - everything was at stake but we waited for this time to arrive when the film would be tested for what it is. It is an important film based on a topical and relevant issue of farmer suicide and let me tell you there that more farmers kill themselves than deaths due to communal violence and riots in the country put together. But the industry turned a blind eye towards the issue and the film. Today I read that a film like Karzzz runs at around 5000 shows per day but we got only 338 shows across the country. Our film was not even promoted properly, the marketing guys simply refused to promote the core content. How many films are made on such important issues in modern India but no one heard us. The union government promised to release some 70000 crores for the benefit of farmers – that’s second only to defence budget. It was not something to be missed. How many instances are there where such a wonderful film is made but the producer is left alone to lick his wounds, a sensitive director has to prove himself all over again. The film was forced to bleed to death. It seemed as if the film was sabotaged.

I always told the distributors and marketing guys that they committed a mistake and now I feel vindicated.

5 friends, all youngsters from India's buoyant upper middle class, who are studying in a capitation fee medical college have no care for the world. They are leading an insulated life facilitated by their parents' economic potency. Their problems of love, sex, girlfriends, exams, and ego are all blown out of proportion as they spice up their blissful existence. The fact that they are studying to be doctors and will be part of the healthcare scenario, a rather key element in the context of any nation's development is of no consequence to them. They are just flowing with the tide, nonchalant, insulated, in a cocooned existence and would want nothing to change.







Then by a cinematic twist of destiny they land up in a village in Vidarbha as a consequence of a wager gone too far. The Village is caught in the whirlpool of extreme poverty and farmer suicides. The 5 friends suddenly are confronted with an India they have never really heard of or seen.

Initially reluctant, they are forced to ask questions to themselves and to others. Why is India's progress so lopsided? Why has urban India not shared the pie with poor farmers and rural workers? Where do most of the Indians Live – cities or villages? Why does he who is not a strong economic component and a weak political voice not matter?

Why is there such income disparity in the new India where there are 36 billionaires and some 800 million people live on less than 20 rupees a day?

The five friends understand that the place has reached a boiling point and it is rather fertile for the ultra left forces to come in and offer a violent solution. We explore the situation where the ultra left is chipping away at the servile, pacifist character of the farmer and it will only be days before they join hands in a violent struggle.

So is it reassuring that Summer 2007 is finally getting its due recognition through the Indian Panorama? “Well, at the expense of sounding brash, I would say that we were always confident about our film from day one. We know our jobs well. But a selection like this is surely encouraging. We are finally smiling for the first time after our film has released”. Would you believe it, we were given such a bad release and promotion – such a ruthless treatment that most of us were stunned; we didn’t speak to each other for weeks. For god’s sake it was our first film.

The director of the film Suhail Tatari says ‘I am exhilarated and look forward to be representing my country on International arena. It is rather satisfying to be given an opportunity to showcase my work to the wider world audience. He quips, ‘more people will get to see the film now compared to when it was released’. But on a more serious note, he seems satisfied and says, ‘one is happy that I am getting this privilege in my first film itself, actually including the Producer and Sikandar, it is the first film for about a dozen of us’. It really is heartening’.

The male lead of the film Sikander Kher sounded more surprised as we caught him. “Oh my god, I am so elated, Summer 2007 was my first film and for that to be selected at the Indian Panorama is a huge boost to my career. More so the film is important to me because it restored my faith in choosing the right path in life”, concludes Sikander.

The other mainstream Hindi films that will be played at the Indian Panorama section at IFFI include Jodhaa Akbar, Taare Zameen Par and A Wednesday. Some prominent films from the regional arena include the Umesh Kulkarni’s Valu (Marathi), Girish Kasaravalli’s Gulabi Talkies (Kanada) and Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s Oru Pennum Randaanum (Malayalam),Akashagopuram of K P kumaran.