The concept of agricultural labourers that move from place to place according to where the most work is needed is an international one, since the seasonal nature of the work always demands for extra hands throughout the year. Santosh Ram focuses on the concept by presenting another side of it, that of the consequences on the workers’ kids, who have to follow their parents around.
“Prashna” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
Ganga and her husband Rajkumar work as seasonal sugar cutting labourers on a contract basis. They have to migrate from place to place for the work leaving behind their village. Their only son, 10-year old Ganesh has to follow them during the high season, abandoning his classes in school. When a teacher chastises Ganga for having him on leave for so long, the young woman decides to take matters in her hands, while also finding a way to improve herself and change her life.
Ram’s 24-minute short unfolds in two axes, with the sequences of the workers in the fields and the kids gathering in school implementing a documentary-like approach, and Ganga’s efforts a feature one. Both approaches work quite well, particularly due to their intermingling, with the editing of Pravin Anarse being ideal in that regard, while the quick succession also dictates a rather fast pace, that also works very well. DP Arjun Balkrishnan’s lensing is also of very high quality, with the scenes in the fields being occasionally impressive, and the one with the children sitting on the ground one that will definitely stay on the mind of the viewer.
Ram also communicates his comments eloquently, about the need for education for the kids, but also for the grown ups, who frequently find themselves in a Sisyphean path towards an unsatisfying life, and the ways they can implement to change it. The way Ganga and Ganesh change is one of the most appealing aspects of the narrative, also benefiting the most by the acting of Ganesh Chandrakant Jadhav and Anjali Chandrakant Jadhav as Ganesh and Ganga respectively, whose chemistry is rather evident.
“Prashna” is an impressive short that manages to make a series of very interesting comments through an approach that is quite artful cinematically
