Court's success stands on its own merit, an honest story told simply and beautifully, and on the gumption of its creators, cast and crew.
The national-award winning Marathi film 'Court' has been chosen as India's official entry to the Oscars next year, in the Foreign Languages category. The movie had created quite a wave in the country and abroad. Here is why it is one of the most important films in the country today.
Moving the marginal to centre-stage
Directed by 28-year-old Chaitanya Tamhane, Court tells the story of an ageing folk musician and political activist who is accused by the state for causing the suicide of a manual scavenger through his 'inflammatory' songs. The movie subtly hits out at the government on its persecution of those who raise uncomfortable questions through laws like UAPA (the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act). It also throws light on the apathy of the administration and the society towards people of lower economic and social sections.
Artful storytelling
Tamhane tells an important story in a compelling manner, without jargons or gimmicks. He does away with the mainstream narrative and has what most would call an 'art-house' production and story telling. Despite this, the movie was hugely successful, critically and commercially.
Real people, real stories
Most of the film's cast, barring Vivek Gomber as defence lawyer Vinay Vora and Geetanjali Kulkarni as public prosecutor Nutan, are not actors. Vira Sathidar who plays the protagonist Narayan Kamble in the film, is a folk musician and political activist. The music composer, lyricist and singer is none other than Sambhaji Bhagat, Maharashtra's well known lok shahir.
Also Read- 'Court' compels the audience to think, says protest musician Sambhaji Bhagat
Offbeat content, mainstream recognition
Despite its non-traditional narrative and topic, the film traversed from the sphere of off-beat cinema to mainstream media and had made a cool Rs 60 lakhs in the first week, a decent revenue for a multi-lingual film. The movie grabbed eye balls without any marketing gimmicks, owing to the numerous awards that it won nationally and internationally. The film won several awards, at least 16 awards and five nominations, in India and in various international film fests.
Indie cinema
The film had no real backing from production houses or any 'industry godfathers' when it came to funding. Actor Vivek Gomber financed most of the money, at least Rs 3.5 crore of it, himself. The rest was raised by the director (£10,000) from Rotterdam’s Hubert Bals Fund.
Court's success stands on its own merit, an honest story told simply and beautifully, and on the gumption of its creators, cast and crew.
Also Read: How 'Court' managed to bridge opposing ideologies
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