‘Chamm’ brings Dalit community’s struggle alive on silver screen

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 13

While raising issues of Dalit community with his independent film ‘Chamm’, director Rajiv Kumar of ‘Nabar’ fame has once again managed to prove that quality Punjabi cinema will find audience. Holding special screenings of his film across major cities in Punjab, Rajiv’s ‘Chamm’ received rousing response from the intelligentsia in Amritsar as it was screened at Virsa Vihar.

‘Chamm’, meaning chamdi (skin), is based on a short story by writer Bhagwant Rasulpuri. It presents the story of a Dalit protagonist, who works at the local village slaughter house and skins dead animals.

“The film is a novel experiment to reach out to audience instead of waiting for them to come to cinema halls. Made independently, the film is a joint collaboration between a group of theatre artistes and my close friends. It is a small budget film,” said the national award winning director.

The movie also stars city-based actor Hardeep Gill, who also worked with Rajiv in ‘Nabar’. Gill said it was for the first time that a film on Dalit issues was been made in Punjabi cinema. He said, “Sufferings of the community in villages and struggles they face against social stigmas is truly depicted in the film. It doesn’t show characters in black and white, but has different layers. Like a young village girl, who is a doctor and stands besides the community in their struggle against atrocities and some local villagers, who belong to upper castes and support Dalits in their demand for equal position in society.”

Apart from the plight of the Dalit community, the film also talks about drug abuse and the economical struggle of the rural folk.