Jayan Cherian at IFFI: ‘Wanted to capture Siddi community’s collective imagination, cultural identity’

Cherian has been in contact with the community in Uttara Kannada district — the Siddis have lived in Karnataka for nearly 400 years — since he began developing work on ‘Rhythm of Dammam’ in 2016. He says the screenplay evolved organically as he lived in the community in Yellapur town and “interacted daily with my characters.”

“I engaged extensively with the community elders, conducting interviews to explore their folktales, myths, legends, and their perspectives on history. Through this process, I sought to capture the community’s collective imagination and cultural identity,” he says. Rhythm of Dammam is being screened in the ‘Cinema Of The World’ section of the ongoing 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa.

A still from the movie

The 92-minute film, which predominantly uses the ‘Siddi dialect’ of Konkani, follows the story of Jayaram, who despite seeking help from local black magicians is haunted by the spirit and escapes into a dream world, using ‘magical’ instruments from his grandfather to connect with his ancestors. The agonising history of his ancestors’ chattel slavery overwhelms Jayaram. He loses touch with reality and drops out of school, prompting his family to strive to restore his balance by embracing tribal rituals and Dammam music, both vital to their cultural heritage.

A student of Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami, Cherian, who holds a Master of Fine Arts in filmmaking from The City College of New York, says he views himself “simply as a storyteller”, sharing the stories of the people he interacts with, stories that intertwine with his own and become a part of his existence. “On a deeper level, I become my cinema; it is an inseparable part of me. If you cut me, I bleed cinema,” he says.

Cherian has often chosen the stories of those living on the fringe or not conforming to societal norms. That’s evident from his movies, including Ka Bodyscapes (2016), The Shape of the Shapeless (2010) and Papilio Buddha (2014), which tells the story of Shankaran, a young Dalit man, who befriends a white gay American lepidopterist (a person who studies or collects butterflies and moths).

Cherian says most of his previous work is deeply inspired by contemporary social movements, such as the Dalit land struggles in Kerala and the LGBTQIA+ movement.

“My work broadly investigates how identities —such as race, gender, ethnicity, and their intersectionalities — are constructed, performed, and employed as tools of both oppression and empowerment… For me, it is essential to live alongside my characters and actively engage with the community during the writing process,” he says.

As a matter of course then, in Yellapur, while working for Rhythm of Dammam, Cherian actively participated in Siddi events and family functions. Since the film features a number of first-time actors, Cherian also conducted several acting workshops, “drawing on the Siddi community’s remarkable artistic talent”.

“Many Siddis are naturally gifted singers and dancers, and the presence of professional actors within the community, such as Prashant Siddi, Girija Siddi, and Parshuram Siddi, greatly contributed to the process. Their expertise played a key role in training and preparing new actors for the shoot,” he says.

The community embraced him as one of their own, says Cherian. “I have formed deep friendships within the community. Notable individuals such as Mohan Siddi, Jayaram Siddi (the first lawyer from the community), Yellapur MLC Shantaram Siddi, and community leaders like Lawrence Siddi and Santosh Siddi have become like family to me”.