How Hindi Cinema Is Embracing Environmental Narratives

A water tanker is stationed in an alley in Delhi, around which hundreds of people gather. There is screaming, shouting and chaos. Several pipes are inserted into the belly of the tanker. Everyone wants to get their share of water; even if it’s only a bucketful. The tanker driver suddenly announces that there is no more water. People scream and shout in frustration demanding to know more about why the water supply is cut off. The driver then zooms away with the tanker. People run behind it.

This is a scene from the Hindi movie Fukrey 3 from 2023, which depicts a water shortage, an event which is common during the summer months in several Indian cities today. The scene that depicted water scarcity in Delhi with the tanker, was seen as a welcome trend in bringing a real environmental issue to the big screen, in an entertainment film.

Hindi language cinema is largely known for entertainment-oriented films. In recent times however, film directors are making efforts to raise awareness about environment-related issues.

The Archies, which was released on an over-the-top (OTT) streaming platform in November 2023 was a widely talked about film. Amid all the dancing, singing and romance, the protagonists were seen fighting to save a park. Another film, Kedarnath, released in 2018 depicted the impact of the 2013 flash floods in Uttarakhand, on the lives and livelihoods of people and the biodiversity. The action-packed film Lakadbaggha released in January 2023 deals with the rescue of a hyena from wildlife trafficking. Sherdil: The Pilibhit Saga, a 2022 film released was a part of the trend of embracing environmental narratives, too. In this film, a sarpanch goes to the forest to get killed by a tiger to gain a compensation.

Mrigdeep Singh Lamba, director of Fukrey 3 while talking about this trend, told Mongabay India, “Our aim was to give a message about what is happening in Delhi. Whatever is happening to people all across the country should be highlighted. If you give a message packed with entertainment, its reach will be more.” Film research experts expect this trend to pick up as more environmental and climate issues come into mainstream discussions.

A recent study by researchers at FLAME University, Pune, analysed how nature, environment and climate featured in Indian films since the 1940s. It notes that there are hundreds of Indian films that feature nature, wildlife or the environment, including popular films such as Mother India, Pather Panchali and the one of the biggest commercial hits of 1971, Haathi Mere Saathi. At that time, these films were viewed solely from a social perspective.

Films That Were Ahead Of Time

Over the past decade or so, many Hindi films have been released in which serious efforts have been made to portray the impact of the changing environment, on screen. These include Kadvi Hawa (2017) that discusses drought, Kaun Kitne Paani Mein (2015) that depicts the water shortage problem, Iraada (2017) that touches upon the issue of underground water getting contaminated because of factories, Jal (2013) which highlights the water crisis in Kachchh, and Sherni (2021) that spotlights the human-wildlife conflict.

The film Joram that was released in December 2023 highlighted the very contemporary ‘nature versus development’ issue. While it was critically acclaimed, it didn’t have commercial success. The film could not even recover its cost.

While talking about the challenges in making films like Joram, director Devashish Makhija told Mongabay-India, “This has been happening for years. By and large, the audience is neither ready, nor very keen to watch such films. We make these films because we want to…” He says that both serious and entertainment-oriented films can play an important role in taking to the public various environment-related issues that the country is facing now.

Such stories, while jostling for space in theatres, are getting the support of OTT platforms. An Indian climate fiction thriller series, The Jengaburu Curse, which was released on an OTT platform last year and shows the impact of mining on humans and nature. Nila Madhab Panda, the director of this series and the creator of more than 70 films, documentaries and short films on environmental and social topics, told Mongabay-India, “When matters related to climate change appear in newspapers or are shown in documentaries, people do not take them seriously. People tend to think that it is something that is not affecting them; it is impacting other people. So, I thought that if I made a climate fiction, it would have a better impact.”

When asked about the challenges in achieving box office success, writer and film critic Ajay Brahmatmaj explained, “The biggest reason is the business of the film. Making a film on climate change may not necessarily bring in the money. The example of a film like Joram is in front of us. If one wants to make a full-length feature film on climate change, you need a great writer who will deliver the message in an interesting way. We have not had any such film yet, so producers are not willing to invest in any such content.”

Aside from feature films, there are also documentaries being made, featuring climate change, wildlife, biodiversity and the environment. Among these, the most popular in recent times is The Elephant Whisperers which won an Academy Award last year. However, some filmmakers and observers say that the reach of such documentaries is limited to film festivals and special events. Panda adds that only a small number of people watch such documentaries and when such few people watch these, it’s challenging to create impact.

Changing Environment And The Role Of Films

According to a recent study, extreme weather events occurred in parts of the country almost every day in the first nine months of 2023. These included events ranging from extreme heat and cold, heavy rains, floods and landslides. About 3,000 people lost their lives to these extreme weather events.

Anand Pradhan, a professor at Delhi-based Indian Institute of Mass Communication, told Mongabay-India, “Cinema is the most powerful medium among mass media, which directly touches the hearts of people in a light-hearted way, making even complex things simple in the process. Stories have a great influencing power. Films connect people with their stories. Popular actors and actresses can truly have an impact on people with the help of their acting prowess.”

But what impact do these films have on climate and environmental issues? A compilation of a few studies published in other countries show mixed results. A 2010 study revealed that after watching Al Gore’s film An Inconvenient Truth, awareness regarding issues related to the environment and climate, saw an increase. Another study conducted in 2020 found that even among those who view climate change with scepticism, environmental concerns may increase after watching films. But a study conducted in 2017 about the film The Blue Planet II found that it had no effect on behaviour of the study participants.

Other research that looked at 37,453 scripts and films between 2016 and 2020, found that only 2.8 percent of these mentioned climate change. It is “largely absent in scripted entertainment,” the study states.

Michael Swoboda, assistant professor of writing at The George Washington University wrote in an opinion piece in the Washington Post, “Most climate-fiction films tell depressing stories. These include all types of disasters, from floods and ice ages to hurricanes and sea level rise. But there is no talk of the fossil-fuel industry. The problem is that viewers are bored of seeing stories about the end of the world. These stories of destruction told over and over again do not encourage action.”

(Published under Creative Commons from Mongabay-India. Read the original article here)