Ordinary Lives 2005
Distributed by Documentary Educational Resources, 101 Morse Street, Watertown, MA 02472; 617-926-0491
Produced by Documentary Educational Resources
Directed by Sheetal S. Agarwal
DVD, color, 38 min.
Sr. High - Adult
Economics, Political Science, Urban Studies, Women's Studies, Gender Studies, Asian Studies, Social Work, Sociology, Social Sciences
Date Entered: 01/22/2008
Reviewed by Triveni Kuchi, Rutgers University LibrariesThe film Ordinary Lives, unlike the simplicity of its title, poignantly captures the chaos and complexity in daily routine lives of people living in Mumbai’s slums or chawls. Typically poverty, a lack of employment opportunities and hope for the future promote migration from rural areas of India into Mumbai. As the film indicates, around 300 new families arrive every day, adding to a population of more than 13 million and the excessive crowding (including hawkers and small businesses taking over spaces on footpaths and chaotic traffic and transportation) does not allow space for people to even walk. The Maharashtra government and Mumbai’s municipality have started to aggressively pursue “urban renewal” programs to build housing projects based on Shanghai’s successful plans in China. Tall multistoried buildings are planned to rise from the sites of slums and chawls in Mumbai providing housing to these teeming city dwellers.
The story revolves around Ramchandra Shedge and his large family. In a space of about 10 X 10 feet, four generations live together as an extended family. Agarwal deftly weaves their story, filming in a very practical non assuming sort of style that exposes their economic and social conditions, attitudes, gender roles, tensions, and also their fun, satisfaction, happiness and hope in their current conditions. “It is more fun to live in the slums than an apartment building” clearly indicates the families’ adjustment and assimilation to an environment that sometimes lacks basic necessities and shelter. Agarwal very skillfully juxtaposes the hopes and dreams of Ramchandra’s daughter against the sacrifices she has had to make while living in appalling conditions. The strong motivation and the amazing positive spirit of the women and children living in these slums is the hope that they will really get out of their circumstances. Clearly, moving to a multistory one room housing project flat provided by the government that supplants their current one room kholi is not a fundamental improvement in their circumstances.
Awards
- Michael Moore Award, Best Documentary Film, Ann Arbor Film Festival, 2006
- Best Documentary, International Student Film Festival, Hollywood, 2006
- Best Documentary KODAK Award – student competition, 20th Fort Lauderdale