In Tough Times

Pistulya,winner of Best Debut Non-Feature Film award for its direction and a Special Mention at the 58th National Awards,2010,was screened at Patrakar Sangh in Navi Peth on Thursday. “I have faced many struggles in my life to pursue my dreams,complete my education and build my career. The film is not an autobiographical representation but I have seen many people go through the same problems that have been focused in my film,” said Nagraj Manjule,the producer and director of Pistulya ,at the event.

The film is a story about a village in Maharashtra that is inhabited by Wadars,a nomadic community which does not accord education much importance. An eight-year-old boy struggles to educate himself in this difficult situation. The protagonist has to battle hunger,poverty and callous attitudes to triumph. “As the great Mahatma Phule has said in his poems,ignorance and illiteracy are the root causes of all evil,corruption and crime. Even when the government passes a yojna,they do not implement it completely. A change in the mindset is required before the building of schools in villages,” expresses Manjule.

Suraj Pawar plays the protagonist in the film. The boy was spotted by Manjule when he went to visit a friend,who happens to be a teacher in a village. “ I noticed that Suraj has something special about him the moment my eyes fell upon him. I persuaded him to act in the film I was going to make and he eventually agreed. He is an orphan and is taken care of by his grandparents,who are happy for his progress in life. They wanted him to make something worthwhile and believed that this was a god-given chance to go ahead in life,” reveals Manjule. Pawar has come a long way from running away from classes at the ashramshala in his village to being awarded a National Award for his performance in Pistulya.