The Other India

Just 50 km from Pune,there lies a small village by the name Jejuri. The village is famous for a temple called Khandobachi Jejuri,said to hold wish-fulfilling powers. Couples who desire children often visit the temple for a ‘mannat’ or a boon. This is where the plot twists though. Once their wish is fulfilled,the couple will have to leave their first-born at the temple,where the child will be dedicated to the main deity,Khandoba. These children,left behind at the temple town,form the Waghya Murli community,a little-known group that is finally coming to the forefront with the release of the Marathi film,Langar. Films such as Langar (2012),Uchalya (2013) and Maati Maay (2006) are now taking Marathi cinema in a bold direction,focusing on the personal stories of obscure Indian cultures such as the Waghya Murli,Uchalya and Dom communities.

Langar,for instance,recently released on October 19 is the moving story of a girl in the Waghya Murli community,who dares to break away from the social customs in her village. While the murlis or girls are wedded to the sacred idol at the age of seven or eight,the Waghyas or boys are considered to be brothers of the deity. A married relationship with another person is forbidden in the community and the members are often misunderstood by society. “These boys and girls grow up to reach an understanding with each other and they live together and have children. The women perform song and dance routines telling tales about God and are often paid for this. These are just some of the reasons the community is ostracised,” says the director,Sandeep Navare. “It is surprising to learn that something like this can happen so close to a big and modern city like Pune and we don’t even know about it,” he adds.

Uchalya,on the other hand,is a film about a community with people who are branded as thieves from birth. These people have no significant private possessions,no ration card or any other form of identity and are not even recognised by the government,according to film director Sameet Kakkad. “They are forced to steal for their livelihood and are in turn labelled and shunned as a community of robbers,” says Kakkad. The film shoot begins from December and the movie team hopes to release it in 2013.

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Yet another film,2006-release,Maati Maay told the story of a grave keeper from the Dom community,who found she did not want to continue with the family tradition of guarding children’s graves. She was branded a ‘bayen’ or a witch by her village people and was sent away to live as a pariah. “In the 80s,parallel cinema was thriving and many such movies were made,such as Aakriet,but after that,there was a lull. The theme seems to be returning now and such movies are being made again,” says Chitra Palekar,director of Maati Maay.

Navare,who researched and shot his movie amongst the Waghya Murli community members says,“They were hesitant to share their stories at first because of the way they have been treated in the past. But they eventually realised that the movie was going to help bring their story out and they have helped us a lot.” “There are so many such stories that are real and out there,waiting to be told. We are no longer restricted to making movies about romance or comedy and the audience appreciates such movies now,” he adds.