IN SEARCH OF LIGHT

Filmmaker Jigar Nagda delves into the personal and political inspirations behind his latest film Batti: A Boy Who Dreamt of Electricity, and reflects on caste, gender, and systemic apathy in rural Rajasthan

- AKSHAY KUMAR

FILMMAKER Jigar Nagda, an erstwhile assistant of filmmakers Anurag Kashyap, Onir and Manish Gupta, branched out on his own to make the docu-short Aravali: The Lost Mountains under his Udaipur Pictures banner. Continuing his rich form in the festival circuit, his recent film Batti: A Boy Who Dreamt of Electricity won the Best Film award at the Jaipur International Film Festival 2024. The film will be screened at the Habitat Film Festival 2025 in Delhi on May 22.

Batti is about a tribal man named Bheru from Rajasthan, who goes from pillar to post to get an electricity connection in his home.

The film navigates his emotional journey as he confronts various obstacles stemming from social and economic backwardness. Jigar, who hails from a tribal pocket in Rajasthan, explains that many people in these communities are unaware of how they are exploited due to a lack of education. "I captured a fraction of this conundrum in Batti," he notes.

Jigar emphasises that their ignorance not only stifles access to basic amenities like electricity but also affects social dynamics. He points out that while some exploit caste hierarchy, the broader issue of misogyny unites all castes, leading members of oppressed communities to be unaware of how their misogynistic tendencies continue to contribute to caste oppression.

"The practice of reverse dowry in Rajasthan has exploded. This phe nomenon is driven by the community's aversion to female children and the resultant poor sex ratio.