I was on my way to meet Anand L. Rai when the news about Newton, being India's official entry to the 90th Academy Awards, came out. The film is produced by Manish Mundra’s Drishyam Films and Rai’s Colour Yellow Productions, associated with the film almost six months back as a presenter (along with Eros International).
When we met Rai, he was ecstatic but said “it was really unexpected.” Even with the positive reviews and the good word of mouth that the film has been getting, over the last few days, Rai didn’t think that it would be India’s official nomination to the Oscars. However, he knew from the beginning that it is different because it is so rooted in reality and brings out an aspect of the Indian democracy.
A political satire with the right dose of humour, Newton – starring Rajkummar Rao in the titular character and Pankaj Tripathi as a CRPF officer Aatma Singh – is a dark comedy about a rookie government clerk assigned to conduct elections in the Maoist-infested jungles of Chhattisgarh. Even with a fear of attack from the Naxalites and constant discouragement by Aatma, the righteous Newton stays adamant on conducting the polls till the designated time ends.
Incidentally, director Amit V. Masurkar dropped in just when we were wrapping up our conversation with Rai. Unassuming as he looked, he was nothing but overwhelmed with the news. It’s a big thing that it happened on the same day of the film’s release. It’s surreal for him. “I wasn’t even aware that the film has been sent to the selection committee. It’s a big surprise for me,” says the director whose phone hasn’t stopped ringing since the announcement. He hasn’t got so many calls ever in his life, he jests. But he is happy that this has happened. “Now the film will reach out to more people.”
However, he was there to make Rai meet a young journalist, Mangal Kunjam, from Dalli Rajhara area in Chattisgarh (where Newton has been shot). Kunjam was the person helping Masurkar in and around the area during the shooting, and he couldn’t be happier introducing him to all the people who matters.
The young journalist, Kunjam, has an interesting life reporting in the conflict-ridden area. The well-known enmity between the Naxalites and the CRPF personnel working in the area, which is marvellously captured in Newton, sometimes puts Kunjam too in sticky situations when he reports for either of the parties involved. “People have such interesting stories,” Rai tells us after spending some time with Kunjam as he comes back to do a photoshoot for us.
Rai is aware that Kunjam’s life story too may be worthy of a film but experiences and personal interactions matter more to him. And it makes sense too because a similar subject can’t be explored all over again. However, Rai likes the idea (proposed by Masurkar) of going to the Dalli Rajhara as well other areas in Chattisgarh and showing the film to the natives. “Not for the promotion of the film, but to give it a life beyond theatres,” he says.
The journey which the film has embarked upon, with appreciation at international festivals and good (pre-release) reviews, is formidable. Unlike other years when the Indian selection for the Academy Awards often gets in trouble for being biased, Newton has got an unanimous support. The film has already travelled beyond theatres.
As Mundra, who considers this the most incredible news of their lives, said in a statement, “All of our hard work and faith is finally paying off. Newton is a very important film and we cannot thank the Film Federation of India jury enough for recognising and appreciating our efforts. There is truly no greater honour than representing our country at the global stage.” Considering the news being announced on the day of the film’s theatrical release in India, he thinks the stars are aligning for them.
