Director Chhatrapal Ninawe’s latest Marathi film ‘Ghaath’ (Ambush) is not just a thrilling and hard-hitting drama on the Naxal movement, but a deep dive into character studies and worldbuilding, as it takes the concept of realistic storytelling to another level.
The filmmaker, whose early works include ‘A Cheque of Death’ – a short film on farmer suicides – and the mid-length indie feature ‘Dvandva’, bagged the prestigious Giuseppe Becce Award for Best Director in 2023 for ‘Ghaath’ at its first screening at the Berlinale Festival.
Later, during its screening at top festivals such as the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival and International Film Festival of Kerala 2023, the movie received high acclaim from critics and audiences.
Chhatrapal, who has also written the script, in a freewheeling chat with UNI elaborated on various aspects of the film, particularly its narrative structure, and the complex portrayal of the Naxal situation.
Elaborating on the film’s focus on realism, Chhatrapal said “Many people told me that it felt very real, like they were there.”
“I wanted to make a realistic film that would not just engage the audience, but also make them connect with the characters, their emotions, their stories.”
Talking about the film’s inception, he dwelt on his “deep fascination” with the jungle and recalled the days when he would go trekking with his friends and in areas similar to the one shown in ‘Ghaath’.
‘Ghaath’ is set amidst central India’s jungles, in areas with Maoist influence. The film intertwines the fates of the Naxalites, civilians and police in a tightly knit screenplay. The narrative unfolds through three chapters influenced by three elements – zameen (land), jal (water) and jungle.
“I wanted to tell the story of the people in the area instead of Maoism, but that is central to the region, so I can’t ignore it. I also wanted to let the politics of the whole issue take a backseat, but that also can’t happen,” he said.
Chhatrapal’s primary emphasis was on the people in these areas. “I wanted to place the lives of the people at the core, that is why I took care to not really delve that much into the whole ideological side of it.”
Emphasising on the setting’s importance, he said “The jungle was the key, this particular jungle. People who live in the jungle have very different stories, compared to those living in villages, towns, or cities. It’s also key to their relationship with both the police and the Naxalites.
“Anyone who has a gun, Naxal or police, they are the law. And that is what the focus is, on individuals, not organisations,” he said.
On Maoism, he said while on the surface it is very idealistic, but it soon becomes corrupted, as they soon begin harassing the residents of these areas, taxing them, looting them.
“Government authorities work on stopping them, but then they harass them as well. On a collective level, they may be doing good, but in terms of individual impact, neither is very different.”
“This moral greyness has been central to all movements throughout history, how idealism becomes corrupt, and how good governance and policing can lead to collective good, but a lot of collateral damage, which is often ignored,” Chhatrapal added.
According to the Nagpur-born director, trust was the central theme of the film in exploring the complexity of relationships between the characters and their emotions. “And how trust can easily turn to betrayal.”
The bulk of the shooting was done in real life locations, apart from some done on sets. “The shooting in the jungle was actually less than 50 km away from the Red Zone.”
Despite the film’s deep dive into the Naxalite movement, and its meticulously detailed focus into both sides of it, the research for the film wasn’t a result of merely reading about it, but rather something more dynamic.
Chhattrapal met police officers and surrendered Naxalites, and spoke to gathered their stories first hand before creating the screenplay.
Speaking about the film’s development, he said “It actually started as a short film based on one very interesting character, but as I worked on it more, it developed into a full feature film”.
Chhatrapal said all characters depicted in the movie were amalgamations of various stories which he studied with his team. “There is no one inspiration, because there are so many stories, be it the experiences of policemen, the surrendered Maoists, the ones who live in the area…”
Speaking of the government’s response to the Maoist insurrection, he said “I think the government is doing a great job in eliminating them, if that is their only goal. But I also feel that they should take note from the Maharashtra government’s actions, and how they have helped both the surrendered Maoists, and residents of areas affected, how they have avoided collateral damage”.
At the same time, the 1980-born writer-film maker felt the Maoists also needed to understand the error of their ways.
“.. that be it through their (Maoists) own actions, or because of retaliatory action taken by the police against them; it leads to the loss of lives of innocents; and the loss of just one innocent life destroys your whole ideology, and its credibility,” he signed off.
