By Devapriya Sanyal.
I wanted to understand what makes some people latch on to a leader or a cause like this to passionately.”
Follower, Harshad Nalwade’s debut film which premiered at the IFFR, encapsulates the fight between Belgaum’s two main stakeholders in the state of Karnataka which has long been a bone of contention between Maharashtra and Karnataka. The film deftly weaves in and out of personal clashes versus the larger political ones, which is one of its strongest points.
The protagonist, Raghavendra Pawar (Raghu Prakash), gets radicalised by a digital platform called Sanyukata Vaani, which claims to be fighting for the Marathi community. The fact that he is unable to balance his political beliefs and his relationships and friendships costs him dearly. In the end he loses sight of himself and is consumed by a political war that is not even his own. The film provides a strong message to the Indian youth of today who are in as much danger of losing themselves to hate, strife and communalism without thinking about such issues deeply.
Would you like to talk about your journey from an editor to a film director?
I actually fell in love with direction through editing. And this wasn’t during my working years in Mumbai. But back in my hometown on my computer, I discovered Windows Movie Maker. I got intrigued and added a couple of images and music track on it. And that first clip of two images playing one after other, got me excited. So we also had this video camera at home and I decided to use it. In those days I was a big fan of WWE and so I decided to shoot a fight scene. I used my younger brother as my muse and shot a few videos doing some wrestling moves on him from different angles. Then I put it together on the software and edited a video cutting to different angles. That was my first film! The rest is history.
What inspired you to become a film director?
I think it was around 2001 and I saw Lagaan in a local theatre. The experience that I had in that hall with others connecting so intimately with that film, was I think the first time I realised the magic of storytelling.
How did you conceive Follower?
In recent times, when a lot of populist leaders emerged around the world, I was particularly interested in how there is a large population that were swayed away by these leaders. People strongly believed in their narratives and would be very dismissive of people who questioned those leaders. I wanted to understand what makes some people latch on to a leader or a cause like this to passionately.
In India, unfortunately people don’t support documentary films. So if I had made a documentary around this, only people who are well aware would have watched the film.”
Is Follower based on a true story?
It is based on the linguistic dispute that has riddled my hometown. So yes, it is based on true incidents. But the story of the characters is inspired from a lot of my friends and some people I know.
Why did you choose to make Follower a feature film rather than a documentary?
I am more drawn towards fiction and so that was a natural choice for me. Also, because it is a subject that I really want to talk about and want a lot of people to see, I chose fiction. In India, unfortunately people don’t support documentary films. So if I had made a documentary around this, only people who are well aware would have watched the film and that would have been pointless. It was important for me to reach out to more people.
Are there shots or sequences which you would have liked to reshoot for Follower?
There are always something which you are not completely happy with. But that process never ends no matter how many corrections you make. At one point, you have to let go and move on to other things. Audience is the best judge of a film. So leave it to them.
What are your future plans regarding filmmaking?
I have written my 2nd feature and I am now actively looking to meet co-producers to get it made. I am really looking forward to start this process all over again.
Devapriya Sanyal has a Ph.D. in English Literature from JNU, India. She is the author of From Text to Screen: Issues and Images in Schindler’s Listand Through the Eyes of a Cinematographer: A Biography of Soumendu Roy (Harper Collins, 2017).