New Delhi

Bringing alive the grittier side of realm of magic

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THE REAL WITCHES: A scene from `Jeet' a film by Lavlin Thadani.

They don't wear black or zoom off to distant places on their broomsticks. These are real witches. Far from being able to do anything with just a swish of their wands, they are often the victims in an elaborate power struggle. Killed for being witches in Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh and parts of North Eastern India even today, they belong to the lower strata of society and have no magic to their name.

Bringing alive this grittier side of the realm of magic is Lavlin Thadani's film "Jeet" (Victory). While the larger-than-life world of Hindi movies focus on the scarier bit of the profession, "Jeet" is also a film that is frightening in its theme, but for completely different reasons.

The film is set in Jhunwada village and revolves around a journalist, Prakash, who decides to become a schoolmaster to learn more about this practice. He gets involved with the lives of the villagers and gets entangled in a plot of the power-hungry village headman, his alcoholic son and the witch doctor, Ojha, to teach a young girl a lesson.

Unlike most commercial films that aim just to entertain, Dr. Thadani's movie hopes to be able to give the audience the opportunity to understand the complex problem of witch branding.

With different elements at play from illiteracy to patriarchal attitudes, caste and often just greed for land, the director gives viewers a rare glimpse into a world that they would usually not get access into. A film that comes highly recommended, it has received rave reviews from the people who matter. From former Prime Minister of India I.K. Gujral to late Punjabi poetess Amrita Pritam, the film seems to have touched a chord with them.

The film will be screened at India International Centre Annexe on Friday at 6 p.m. -- Mandira Nayar

-- Mandira Nayar

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