By Anand Venkitachalam

New Delhi, May 23 (UNI) Director Jigar Nagda considers his much-feted debut movie ‘Batti: A Boy Who Dreams of Electricity’ a very personal experience, with characters and issues he witnessed in real life shaping its structure.

A nitty-gritty drama, the independent film has been very well received at international fora, such as the Indian Film Festival Stuttgart and Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival USA. It also got rave reviews at the Sharjah International Film Festival in the UAE, and is now charming audiences in Delhi’s ‘Habitat Film Festival’.

This independent neo-noir-drama-feature blends reality with a small dose of fiction, and delivers a gut punch to the stomach.

Shining light on the harrowing truth of the lack of electricity in remote rural places, particularly those dominated by tribals, the plot is staged in a small village in the state of Rajasthan. It tells the

fictional story of a boy named Behru, who strives to get an electricity connection at his far-off mountainous house, after his bride-to-be runs away on the eve of their wedding day with a sum of Rs 1.5 lakh.

The amount had been loaned to Behru's impoverished father by the village chief to hand over to the bride’s father as dowry.

Debt-ridden, Behru decides to fight an uphill battle to get electricity to his house. A simple premise, but a hauntingly real one, as several tribal houses located on the high and far-off ends of

Rajasthan are unable to get electricity, unlike the rest of their village folk, who these days all have electrification and gas connections at their houses.

Talking to UNI, director Nagda said, “I belong to this area, and the idea has been on the back of my mind for years now. I have always been interested in highlighting these issues through a cinematic lens, so this film has been a rather personal experience for me. However, I’ll admit that the issue of electricity was not the one I initially had in mind.”

Nagda said he didn’t have any kind of a personal connection with any character in the film. “The protagonist, Behru, was based on someone I actually know in real life, and his name is also Behru. And yes, it is a personal experience for me, but that said, no character is based on

me specifically, and I don’t identify with anyone here. I identify with the story.”

Describing the filming experience, he said “My budget was limited, and I wanted to do this in a very realistic and professional manner. So, you know, it took a year to shoot this film, with post-production and all that stuff.

“But I’m glad with what came out, and it struck a chord with audiences abroad, when it screened in the US, Germany, Finland, and at the Sharjah Festival, and now with the Delhi screening.”

Elaborating on his choice of tone, and colour palette, when asked about the neo-noir style, he said, “It was a deliberate choice of colour. As I said, I wanted ‘Batti’ to be as realistic as possible.

The village was real, and the house of Behru was a real one as well, though the character is fictional.

“So the choice of tone was also intentional, because I felt that this was the best way to go about it, and drive in the realism.”

When asked if he had any prior inspirations for the film, Nagda said “No, there was no inspiration. I love films, yes, and there is no limit to filmmaking. I am an independent filmmaker, and a lot of

people venture into experimental filmmaking because filmmaking and art have no limits.

“But as I said, I had this idea for years in my head. So, I proceeded to make it with a limited budget, where I could shoot it properly, and pay my crew a good amount too.”

The film was portrayed in a very grey lens, with no real villain whatsoever, as nobody was really malicious or corrupt, but rather everyone spoke through a pragmatic view.

“Yes, as I said, this had to be real. There were no overtures of antagonism in anyone. I can see why Daddy (the name of the village chief in the film) could strike someone as a villain. It’s been sort of a tradition in Bollywood and regional films to portray the sarpanch (chief) as some crooked and corrupt man, but that’s not really the case in real life.

“Here, he speaks in a very practical manner. Behru’s house is too remote for any wire-based connection, and his refusal to give them an electrical connection is not based on any malicious premise. He is the village chief, and he has to spend the govt money on the welfare and

development of the whole village, so he can’t just solely focus on Behru’s house, because installing poles for a wire-based connection to his house would be devastating to allocated funds,”

said Nagda.

On his choice of cast, he said, “I don’t have the luxury of doing auditions. So, most of the actors in the film were local theatre actors from my state. Rajasthan doesn’t have a strong regional film

base, unlike other areas. These actors are looking for new ventures, and when I approached them, they were very accommodating. The villagers were also very friendly.”

When asked why he didn’t use any govt support for the film, as state govts often give help to filmmakers when making movies on issues as these, he said “Now that would be true for some countries in Europe, but that’s not the case in India, or in most Asian or African

countries. At most, they give you access to the area, but they don’t give funds.”

When asked whether he has decided to dive into other genres such as black humour, or venturing into topics like the use of AI, he said, "I know what you mean. It’s used a lot these days in both regional and mainstream cinema, and who knows, perhaps I might someday, but not now, and I doubt it’s going to be anytime soon, because that is not my style. I prefer a straighter approach with no dramatisation.

“As for AI, no. I have no such plans, because while I see your point about AI impacting people’s ability to think creatively through its overuse, I don’t identify with it whatsoever. My experience is

rural-based, and I identify and therefore want to cover various undiscussed issues in rural India.”

Nagda disclosed his next film project has already reached an advanced stage. “I already have another film in the works, it’s called ' Whispers in the Wind’, it is currently in post-production.” UNI ANV SSP