Via Rupesh Kumar
Sabitha: A Woman And A Day
This documentary by Rupesh Kumar was screened on August 22, 2012
At Friday club, Ernakulam, Kerala.
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The documentary ‘Sabitha: A Woman And A Day‘, tries to trace the postive aspects of an adivasi woman’s life. It is shot in the Ambedkar colony in Kambalakad, Wayanad, Kerala. This documentary exposes the ‘patronship ‘of the adivasis by the media and the other established groups. Such patronship goes unquestioned in Kerala, even as it systematically denies the voices of adivasis and promotes non-adivasi interests.
This documentary tries to deconstruct this oppressive, sympathetic gaze on the adivasis, which has become a part of their marginalized reality. ‘Sabitha: A Woman And a Day’ can indeed be treated as an Adivasi feminist text. It presents the journey of a woman named Sabitha in a single day. The director tries to be as non-intrusive as possible by just following Sabitha around with his camera, whereby she becomes the primary narrator of the entire film. There is also an attempt to work with certain shots such as the low angle shot so as to establish the power of Sabitha in the visual text.
Here you can see Sabitha critiquing the elite feminists saying that by denying the adivasi woman her voice the feminist movement cannot go forward.
She gives us a glimpse of adivasi women’s lives and their powerful assertions.
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This is Rupesh Kumar‘s fourth directorial venture. Read his articles on Malayalam films and documentaries on Round Table India.
