Bastar: How The Kerala Story makers co-opts the tribal story and courts controversy

Adah Sharma in a still from the just-released Bastar.

The Kerala Story makers, Vipul Amrutlal Shah and Sudipto Sen, are back in the news for the same reasons as before: for playing with fire, with their new film Bastar, starring, yet again, Adah Sharma, who fails to impress this time, according to a section of those who heaped praises upon her last act in the previous film.

But before one dives into the politics of the film, which is loud and clear, one must question the cultural appropriation of the tribal story in the film made by non-Adivasis. Where are the Adivasis or the Adivasi voice in the film? From the cast to crew, city dwellers, who have no idea what the Adivasi experience has been, are telling the story of Bastar.

There is history of why the Naxal movement was born, for those interested in studying it. Movements are born out of systemic oppression. When any section is pushed against the wall, it will revolt. Whether their means are right or wrong is for the law of the land to decide. The Adivasi land grabbing and oppression continues to this date, decades since the British left. Where else are the mines built? Why has the country's green cover drastically reduced?

And here lies one of the biggest problems with the film: conflating of timelines. Naxal uprising originated in 1967 in Bengal. And, the film, Bastar: The Naxal Story, is based on the 1910 Bastar rebellion, also known as the Bhumkal movement. It is a revolt by Adivasis in 1910 against the British rule in princely state of Bastar in central India. Between 1910 and 1967, a tectonic shift had happened in the country: the Partition. So, the film draws the anti-British sentiments and superimposes it in contemporary times to suit the zeitgeist. That is a reductionist way of looking at history.

Another problem area is that the film confuses and conflates Naxalism with Communism.

One must also recall that when The Kerala Story had released last year, the film stirred up a storm in a cup when it falsely claimed that 32,000 women went missing for Kerala, who were brainwashed, converted and sent on terror missions in India and abroad (read the Islamic State or IS). After the filmmakers being called out, the makers changed the figure from 32,000 to three women in the film. So, one shouldn't throw caution to the winds when such films are being commercially sold to the public, especially in election season. There is another in the offing: the not-so-subtly tilted JNU (Jahangir National University)!

If one is really interested, there is a plethora of films that sensitively address, directly and indirectly, the Naxal issue, and shows how to film a revolution in such films as: From Govind Nihalani's Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa (1998), adapted from Mahasweta Devi's eponymous Bengali novel, Satyajit Ray's Pratidwandi (1970), Mrinal Sen’s Padatik (1973), to Sudhir Mishra's Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (2003), Amit V Masurkar's Newton (2017), and, more recently, Devashish Makhija's Joram (2023), among many others.

The trailer of 'Bastar: The Naxal Story' itself had sparked controversy due to its apparent political undertones. A teaser released on Tuesday showed actor Adah Sharma as IPS officer Neerja Madhavan launching into a monologue claiming that Leftists are joining hands with Naxals in Bastar to divide Bharat. Left, liberal, vampanthi, pseudo-intellectual, Naxalite, and JNU — Adah Sharma mouths all these words in the 1 minute 17-second teaser of Sudipto Sen's film, which released in theatres today.

While many lauded the makers for bringing forth the burning issue of Naxalites, a section has dismissed it as another propaganda offering. The film is alleged to target the left with its narration. Also, given it is releasing a few weeks before the General Elections, many feel it is aimed at changing the political discourse of the country. Producer Vipul Shah, in a recent interview  on ‘Bastar’ release before elections, has said: ‘BJP doesn’t need film to win’.

Many Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students are riled by the film’s claim that there were “celebrations in JNU” on the killing of Indian soldiers.

“JNU celebrated when 76 soldiers were killed in Bastar. Just think about it. Where do they adopt this mentality from? Leftists, liberals, pseudo-intellectuals from cities are behind those in Bastar who are planning to divide India. I’ll shoot these leftists dead in public. Hang me then,” Shah’s character says in the film’s teaser. More than 50 JNU students on Thursday staged a protest burning an effigy of Sen and the movie’s posters. “We demand immediate action against Sudipto Sen, Adah Sharma, Vipul Amruthlal Shah against the open call for genocide of JNU students. Such a step to mislead people is a criminal act. All legal steps will be taken and we appeal to our alumni and VC to take urgent action,” wrote Aishee Ghosh, President of JNUSU on X (formerly Twitter).