New Delhi:
The Siddis community, which has no representation in Indian cinema, is in the news these days. rhythm of dammamAn exceptionally thought-provoking, visually stunning film written and directed by Kerala-born, New York-based Jayan Cherian.
The film premiered at the 55th International Film Festival of India in Goa this week. It is now headed to the international competition line-up of the upcoming 29th International Film Festival of Kerala.
rhythm of dammam The title – alluding to a musical tradition associated with the Siddi lifestyle – highlights the plight of the marginalized Afro-Indian tribe, who are at the bottom of India’s social hierarchy.
In 2013, Cherian’s first film, Papilio Buddha, examined the systemic and physical violence against Dalits, women and the environment. Three years later, she made Ka Bodyscapes, a film about three rebellious millennials who reject notions of gender and sexuality in an anti-change society.
rhythm of dammam It’s not as subversive, but like the filmmaker’s previous films, it is fundamentally political. Using relatively muted means, it examines the marginalization of the Siddis who have endured centuries of oppression.
Cherian’s script, which draws liberally from his extensive documentation of the lives of forest dwellers, alludes to the destruction of the endangered minority’s history, culture and language.
rhythm of dammamPublished and lensed by Sabine Uralcandy, it has the tone and texture of a documentary. However, the seeds of an ethnographic film embedded in the film are built upon a full-blown fictional structure for the purpose of explanation. The strategy works wonders.
The film’s protagonist, a 12-year-old Siddi boy, Jayaram (Chinmay Siddi), struggles to cope with the demise of his grandfather Ram Bantu Siddi (Parashuram Siddi). His anguish, panic, and fear are further compounded by the deaths of the adults around him and the ways in which they react.
His alcoholic, debt-ridden father Bhaskar (Prashanth Siddi, widely known among Kannada film fans), is in constant conflict with his younger brother Ganapathy (Nagaraj Siddi). Both men look to see what the deceased has left them as an inheritance.
His house and the land on which it stands are in danger of being taken over by an upper caste landlord, to whom Bhaskar owes a few thousand rupees. He hopes to avert this incident with the money he inherits. But the box that Bhaskar dug out from a corner of the house contained contents of very little value.
However, for Jayaram, the inheritance, no matter how worthless, became a ready, if turbulent, conduit to the old roots of his brutally exploited tribe, who were brought to India as slaves by Portuguese and Arab traders. And was then left to deal with continued subjugation. And oppression for many centuries.
Set in Yellapur in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, the lead actors in Rhythm of Dammam, where a large percentage of Hindu Siddi people are concentrated, are all non-actors from the community. The actors are presented as non-tribal, all the tertiary characters – the landlord, a doctor, or an instructor at the tribal boys’ hostel – are real people (or look like them).
Cherian frees the actors to improvise their performances, songs and dances. Several extended shots with a steady camera provide natural, unmediated frames to create a concrete context for the Siddis’ suffering, even as Jayaram’s visions of his ancestors present the boy and the audience with an unrealistic, often Takes you to a troublesome area.
The Siddis we see in the film have completed assimilation, hence, ironically, their alienation from mainstream India. They speak the creole language of Konkani, which is the language of their religious chants. Their gods and rituals are Hindu. But his soul – embodied in the white-robed figure of Grandfather whom Jayaram sees and touches in his dreams/nightmares – is driven by a longing for identity.
Politics has made its strong entry into the rhythm of Dammam. The songs and dances of the Siddis are performed to the accompaniment of a double-headed cylinder drum called Dammam, which also gives its name to their major musical tradition.
The dances have not been studied scientifically. Once in tune with the music, the actors work themselves into a frenzy and make their moves. It is marked by a distinctive African accent.
Terrified by what his grandfather is trying to tell him, Jayaram develops a fever, teeters on the verge of delirium, and is labeled a problem child who needs treatment. A concerned mother, an aunt influenced by the goddess Yellamma, a community shaman and a doctor prescribing psychiatric treatment suggest ways to help the boy deal with his problem.
Jayaram’s fragile state of mind reflects the reality of a community that is oscillating between a past they have almost forgotten and a present they want to leave behind.
A young man raps angrily and laments the loss of his community’s soul, language and identity. The languages ​​that Jayaram speaks reflect how far the Siddi people of India are from their Bantu roots.
The medium of instruction in Jayaram’s school is Kannada. The teacher, a non-Siddi, recites the patriotic pledge to the students before testing their knowledge about the seven continents of the world. Jairam was deep in thought.
The teacher makes fun of him. He asks: Where do you live, Jayaram? Please, the boy replies. This is the name of his village. Spread across two continents, Jayaram’s lineage is shrouded in a dense mist. For them, the claim to the distinctiveness of place arises from the desire to belong.
When Jayaram is admitted to a hostel, the collective prayer there, performed in Sanskrit, is clearly religious. Every step he takes away from his bonds is indicative of the traumas his ancestors have endured.
amidst that politics rhythm of dammam The life partner, Cherian sprinkles the narrative with pure magic as seen through the ancient eyes of a pre-teen boy. The gentle, poetic imagery suggests a frustrating search for stability amidst the frightening absence of certainty.
rhythm of dammam Trains your empathetic spotlight on a community’s problems. But this film not only gives voice to the voiceless, it also speaks to all those who find themselves pushed into a corner in history.
Hitting all the right notes, rhythm of dammam It is regrettable to weaken the civilizational tapestry that thrives on diversity.
