Documentary film in India has transformed from primarily being a medium for the independent state to promote consolidation of national identity to a critical and even oppositional tool to depict deprivation, conflict and struggle in society. Political documentary, in particular, is experiencing a period of vibrancy with layered and in-depth depictions of issues that are often submerged by dominant media representations.
Despite (or because of) the quality of the films and their social and political engagement, very few of these documentaries are ever screened in commercial cinema halls or by television channels. For instance, documentarian Anand Patwardhan, who has won several awards including for his recent film Jai Bhim Comrade, had to take the national television channel Doordarshan to court in order for three of his films to be screened by the channel. Recognising these difficulties, film screenings and discussions are often organised at universities and other public venues.
Filmmaker Sanjay Kak is acutely aware of these realities. Kak is very well known for his critical films about Kashmir, and more recently for his film Red Ant Dream, which provides a representation of persisting cultures of resistance in different parts of India. He has experienced censorship attempts by rightwing activists, who have disrupted screenings and pressured to get them cancelled. The government, too, has been involved in efforts to stifle the debate around the contentious issues dealt with by Kak in his documentaries, often using labels of 'sedition' and 'anti-state' to delegitimise the discourse.
In a two-part interview with Muhammed Afzal P, Kak discusses his interest in and approach to documentary, his filmic engagement with resistance movements, and his perspectives on political issues ranging from the Kashmiri struggle to the Naxalite militancy.