Tortoise Under The Earth documents more than displacement, is a different kind of filmmaking.
I watched emerging filmmaker Shishir Jha’s festival hit Tortoise Under The Earth (Dharti Latar Re Horo) a couple of months ago in Goa. Thanks to other tasks at hand, I willingly gave the film enough time to settle down in my memory, in such a way that I could reminiscence about it, preferably laden with nostalgia. I mean, what better way can be there to acknowledge a talented young filmmaker!
Not even watching the trailer of the film to remind myself of the film’s exact plot was a conscious decision, something that could impact the original perspective I might have formed the first time. If certain visuals and sounds stay with me for all these weeks, rather months, then it’s probably going to have a similar effect on others as well.
So, I am only going to talk about three things about Jha’s film—a scene where the chief character Jagarnath Baskey is sitting beneath a very tall tree inside a jungle in full daylight, a blurred line between facts and fiction, and an ominous sense.
Baskey sitting under the dazzling sunlight is a hard to explain visual, because it clearly is an attempt to put the filmmaker’s signature, an auteur’s stamp. It’s slow, distinctly sensible, soothing and a new beginning. Mind you, the film is about the all-important mines of Jharkhand where development and displacement go hand in hand. I don’t know who rides whom!
This shot has been etched for its impact, even if you get a sense of not understanding its placement in entirety. This is the birth of a daring filmmaker who seeks validation for his craft more than his theme.
You see the adivasis struggling in daily life, and you empathise as well, but one can’t immediately take sides. The narrative and style is such that you can’t quickly put finger on what’s imagined and what has actually happened. The mystical nature of the story makes it engrossing, super stylised and terrifying. What if all this is true?
The biggest success of the film lies in its overall vibe. It is sinister for some strange reasons. There are no apparent fights, cruelties, or a sense of menace. However, the lead couple’s lost daughter is way more terrifying than a horror plot twist. It whispers something but is really loud when hits the heart.
Tortoise Under The Earth is a different kind of filmmaking. Only time will tell its importance, but it will tell you a lot of the budding filmmakers and their strengths.
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 "Tortoise Under The Earth review")
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