Cup-le of issues

To know Sumitra Bhave and Sunil Sukhtankar as directors who've made acclaimed issue-based films like Devrai, Nital and Dahavi Fa, among others, is to not fully understand their commitment to cinema with a cause. Even if one looks at Ek Cup Chya their latest film, without knowing their body of work, one gets an unmistakable sense of their penchant for activism, the political lens through which they bring a microcosm of a world residing silently away from the mainstream on to the celluloid.

Though the film is made to spread awareness about a single issue, the filmmakers don't deal with it in isolation. They build around it a context of subtle contradictions, discriminations and prejudices that are structurally built-in to our system, so that the audiences see that the problem, the injustice in focus is a part of a larger web of social politics. Thus, their films end up not only enlightening us about the issue in question, but also questioning the way in which we are conditioned to look at things.
So, though Ek Cup Chya (a euphemism for bribe-seeking) is gathering a reputation for being the first Indian film dealing with the Right to Information Act, the film throws up several other important concerns. Clearly, the over-riding message is the hope that this constitutional provision provides to an otherwise faceless population vis-a-vis a behemoth government.

But the way the directors go about constructing the details of the existence of the common man in the vast rural hinterlands of India, a bigger picture unfolds. The compact 2- hour narrative brings forth the larger implications of 'progress' on the have-nots, the inequality that exists as a way of life in our democracy, the skewed government policies that turn luxuries into necessities for the urban rich, while pushing essentials out of reach for the larger half of the population.
Yet, the story remains honest and personal.

And there lies Bhave-Sukhtankar's achievement. The world of Kashinath Sawant (Kishor Kadam), a bus conductor in state transport, and his family is brought to us with such empathy, you can't help but feel for his innately optimistic wife (Ashwini Giri), his endearing old mother and his un-pampered, sweet children. His fight against a corrupt government with the help of RTI – he wants electricity back in the house after his failure to pay an unjustifiably huge bill – becomes a tale of empowerment of the hapless masses, without once losing the intimate connect with the protagonist's life.
Though there are patches in the second half when you know the directors are in for some informative exposition, they are balanced by delicate humour and some sensitive touches that help the story steer clear of melodrama or manipulative plot contrivances. The reactions and reflexes of characters are so life-like, you could almost believe they were performing without a script.

As much as it is a triumph of the writing, it also says a lot about the actors – all of them deliver very mature performances. A deeply affecting film, indeed.