Manusangada
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2019}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Manusangada
| image = Manusangada_poster.jpg
| caption =
| director = Amshan Kumar
| producer = {{plainlist|
- S.Thara
- Gana.Natkunan
}}
| screenplay = Amshan Kumar
| based_on =
| starring = {{plainlist|
- Rajeev Anand
- Manimegalai
- A.S.Sasikumar
- Sheela Rajkumar
- Vidhur Rajarajan
- Sethu Darwin
- Anand Sampath
}}
| narrator =
| music = Aravind–Shankar
| cinematography = P.S. Dharan
| editing = Dhanasekar
| studio = A K FILMS
| distributor =
| released = {{Film date|df=yes|2017|10|13|Jio MAMI|2018|10|12}}
| runtime = 93 minutes
| country = India
| language = Tamil
| budget =
| gross =
}}
Manusangada (English title: We are Humans) is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language indie drama film directed by Amshan Kumar.{{cite news|url=https://scroll.in/reel/854100/caste-atrocities-the-long-road-to-justice-and-raw-tension-in-tamil-film-manusangada|title=Caste atrocities, the long road to justice and raw tension in Tamil film ‘Manusangada’|work= Scroll|location=Mumbai, India|date=16 October 2017}} The film is based on a true story about the signaling of the rise of Dalit struggles in contemporary India against long standing human rights violations. The title 'Manusangada' is from Inquilab's poem of the same name and literally means 'We are humans too.'
The film had its world priemere in Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival{{cite news|url=https://www.mumbaifilmfestival.com/programmeDetail/242|work= Mumbai Film Fest|title=Mumbai Academy of Moving Image - ProgrammeDetail Site}} and its International Premiere at the Cairo International Film Festival.{{cite news|url=http://www.ticonline.org/newsdetails.php?id=1743|title=மனுசங்கடா (Manusangada) is going to Egypt!|work= Tamil Information Centre|date=11 November 2017}}{{cite news|url=https://www.news18.com/news/movies/cairo-film-festival-tamil-film-manusangada-highlights-a-grave-social-injustice-1590329.html|title=Cairo Film Festival: Tamil Film Manusangada Highlights a Grave Social Injustice - News18|work= News18 |location=Cairo,Egypt|date=29 November 2017}} It was also selected in the Indian Panorama section of International Film Festival of India, Goa and was the only Tamil film to be selected that year.{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/manusangada-screened-at-iffi/article20946948.ece|title=Manusangada screened at IFFI|work= The Hindu|location=Goa, India|date=27 November 2017}} The film has also won the Best Feature Film award from the Puducherry Government in its 35th Indian Panorama Festival.{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/puducherry/puducherry-govt-selects-tamil-movie-manusangada-as-best-film-of-2017/articleshow/65705479.cms|title=Puducherry govt selects Tamil movie Manusangada as best film|work=The Times of India|location=Puducherry|date=6 September 2018}}{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/indian-panorama-begins-manusangada-is-best-film/article24898043.ece|title=Indian Panorama begins; Manusangada is best film|work=The Hindu|location=Puducherry|date=8 September 2018}}
Synopsis
When Kolappan's father dies, Kolappan is not allowed to carry his father's body through the common pathway because he is a Dalit. He seeks help from official powers, only to find that they are equally casteist. Refusing to be cowed down, Kolappan begins a protest and finds his village standing by him. Based on an actual incident, Kolappan's story is a look at the deeply-embedded prejudice that Dalits have endured and against which they are rising.{{cite news|url=http://www.habitatfilmclub.com/booknow-may2018.php?ID=365|title=Manusangada by Amshan Kumar|work= Habitat Film Club|location=Delhi, India|date=25 May 2018}}
Cast
- Rajeev Anand as Kolappan
- Manimegalai
- A.S.Sasikumar
- Sheela Rajkumar as Revathy
- Vidhur Rajarajan
- Sethu Darwin
- Anand Sampath
Development and production
Amshan Kumar chanced upon a news clipping of the incident in 2016, he set aside a screenplay of a William Shakespeare adaptation that he had been working on. Manusangada was shot with a handheld camera in a series of shots with the aesthetic that reflects the reality at hand. Kumar wanted to film it in a docu-drama style with a tragic narrative.{{cite news|url= https://www.cinestaan.com/articles/2018/jun/10/13746/good-people-are-voiceless-filmmaker-amshan-kumar-on-manusangada|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180821095241/https://www.cinestaan.com/articles/2018/jun/10/13746/good-people-are-voiceless-filmmaker-amshan-kumar-on-manusangada|url-status= live|archive-date= 21 August 2018|title=Good people are voiceless: Filmmaker Amshan Kumar on Manusangada|work=Cinestaan.com|date=10 June 2018}} The filming was completed in 22 days and was shot on location.
File:The Director Amshan Kumar, Producer S. Thara, Lead Actor Rajeev Anand at the presentation of film MANUSANGADA, during the 48th International Film Festival of India (IFFI-2017), in Panaji, Goa on November 22, 2017.jpg (2017) ]]
Awards and film festivals
The film was screened at the following Film festivals:
- 19th Jio Mami Film Festival
- Cairo International Film Festival
- Indian Panorama section of International Film Festival of India
- Chennai International Film Festival{{cite news|url=https://www.cinestaan.com/articles/2017/dec/15/9929/arvind-swamy-inaugurates-15th-chennai-international-film-festival-ciff-expresses-concern-over-the-violent-responses-to-art|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215075420/https://www.cinestaan.com/articles/2017/dec/15/9929/arvind-swamy-inaugurates-15th-chennai-international-film-festival-ciff-expresses-concern-over-the-violent-responses-to-art|url-status=live|archive-date=15 December 2017|title=CIFF 2017: Arvind Swamy expresses concern over 'violent responses' to art}}{{cite news| url=http://flickstatus.com/tamil/tamil-movies-and-indian-panorama-movies-list-of-15th-chennai-international-film-festival-2017.html|title=tamil-movies-and-indian-panorama-movies-list-of-15th-chennai-international-film-festival-2017|work=Flickstatus.com}}
- ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal{{cite news|url=https://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/iffi-2017-5-indian-films-nominated-for-icft-unesco-gandhi-medal/945627/|title=IFFI 2017: 5 Indian films nominated for ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal|work=The Financial Express|date=24 November 2017}}
- Pune International Film Festival{{cite news|url=https://themoviean.com/manusangada-tamil-trailer/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180821223128/https://themoviean.com/manusangada-tamil-trailer/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=21 August 2018|title=Manusangada Tamil Movie|work=Moviean.com}}{{cite web|url=http://www.piffindia.com/CryHumanity.php|title=Pune International Film Festival|website=www.piffindia.com}}
- Thrissur International Film Festival{{cite web|url=http://www.ifft.in/portfolio/manusangada/|title=Manusangada – 13th IFFT 2018|website=www.ifft.in}}
- 13th Habitat Film Festival
- Solapur International film festival{{cite news|url=https://www.cineplo.com/IN/Solapur/1768914536762002/Solapur-International-Film-Festival---SIFF|title=SOLAPUR INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL - SIFF|work=cineplo.com|date=13 February 2018}}
- Orange City Film Festival
- ChintaBar 2K18 Film Festival{{cite web |title=Chinta BAR film festival 2K18 |url=https://allevents.in/chennai/chinta-bar-film-festival-2k18/1717748478246550 |website=allevents.in |access-date=20 August 2018 |language=en}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|7475710|Manusangada}}