At My Doorstep
At My Doorstep
At My Doorstep
India 2009
directed by
Nishtha Jain
screenplay
cinematography
Rakesh Haridas
music zvok/sound
Indrajit Neogi
cast
producer
Smriti Nevatia
production
world sales
format
35 mm, barvni/colour
running time
Who is standing at your doorstep? If you are a member of Mumbai's high society, it is probably a trash collector, a postman, a maid or a local warden. Stories of these unseen and underpaid immigrants are shown in a new documentary film by Nishtha Jaim.
How to give voice to these silenced and underpaid workers? With long silent shots of their hard work. How to make the immigrants who were unseen before visible? With visually convincing close shots of diligent hands that iron, cook and clean. How to bring untold stories to the world? With skilful editing of personal confessions and shots of work, passers-by and quarters. But not so much with loud worker’s protests, that remain unheard. Not with theoretical disputes about social and economical state of India, that no one understands. Not with today so often used sensationalistic film dramatization of poverty, but with film narration, that does not hide its roots. It leaves shots with camera in hand. The shaking points to the active role of camerawoman. She includes ideas of actors about the final appearance of the film and screening places. All this gives the film much more sincerity and persuasiveness.
Just like in her previous film about her relationship to her maid Lakshmi and me (2007), the author does not impose her own perspective to the workers, but lets their personal stories in opposition to visually astonishing shots of life in Mumbay without false sentiments fuse to melancholic poetic of diligence.
What gives them the power to endure underpaid hard work in metropolis in desperate, socially unregulated situation, where they have to spare their food to pay for the medicine for their relatives; when they are ashamed in front of the children, because they can not give them a rupee and when they have to sacrifice their childhood and education to work and help their families? Probably desperate circumstances at home and a hope for better tomorrow which is always late.
»It shows the face of a very young India… people who live in shops or slums nearby. You move with the characters, follow them in the train, into their lives. Family life is rare; most of them live bleak, temporary lives. And they hope that in the end, this will change. But will it? And when?« (Nishtha Jain)
Nishtha Jain
After graduation on Jamia Mass Communication Centre in New Delhi she worked as an editor and journalist for many film magazines in India. Then she absolved in directing at Institute for film and television (FTII) in India with her film Jam Invalid (1998) which was given an award in Chicago. She also received various awards for her later documentaries City of Photos, 6 Yards to Democracy and Lakshmi and me, in which she filmed the life of her maid and commented on social and economical inequality in India.
