The Red Rag

This is Gupta’s second feature,after his tryst with a story about an unknown murderer in Stoneman Murders in 2009. Hostel,he is quick to point out,is not a tribute to Kachroo,but the boy’s characteristics are strongly reflected in the protagonist of the film. “The boy was beaten to death. What could be a more chilling instance of how cruel ragging can be,” continues Gupta,who has the support of Aman Kachroo’s father,Rajendra,in making the film. Even the Aman Movement for anti-ragging,founded soon after Aman’s death by Rajendra,to raise awareness about ragging issues has been accorded a ‘special thanks’ in the film. “It’s a fictitious film. But I support the director’s interest in portraying real issues,” remarks Rajendra,who has been actively campaigning for justice after his son’s death.

Hostel’s story is set in an engineering college in Satara,Maharashtra,where an intelligent and soft-spoken boy from Mumbai is subjected to various forms of torture by his seniors and feels traumatised by the treatment. As a result,his performance drops and his complaints to the college authorities fall on deaf ears. “The only similarity with Aman is that this boy is also an outsider and is academically sound when he enters college,” adds Gupta,who shot in Bhavan’s College,Andheri,Mumbai. The shoot was wrapped up in 24 days.

Though the director approached Shahid Kapur and Kunal Khemu for the roles,they declined. The film now stars lesser-known actors like Vatsal Sheth,Tulip Joshi and Mukesh Tewari and focuses on 25 different ragging cases that has grabbed national attention over the years. He has incorporated real-life-cases of his colleagues into the characters too. “There was an assistant director who worked on Sarkar,who was boasting one day about how he used to rag his juniors during his college days. I have based a character on him in the film,” says Gupta.

The film’s treatment includes several graphic scenes that shed light on the brutal nature of this abuse. “Unlike Three Idiots which shows ragging in a light manner,I have focused on the gritty and hard-hitting aspects of ragging. The content is disturbing and should act as an eye-opener,” clarifies Gupta,who has been actively undertaking road trips through the country,campaigning against ragging. He heads to Nagpur on January 19 next to address a student gathering.