A documentary by a group of collegians explores the stigmas attached to this infamous neighbourhood, and the stories that did not make it to mainstream narratives
An overview of the 12th lane in Kamathipura. File pics
Three years ago, when Bollywood director Sanjay Leela Bhansali released the Alia Bhatt-starrer Gangubai Kathiawadi, it propelled a series of reactions; public interest in Kamathipura was renewed, talks on the working conditions of commercial sex workers found a new voice and with all the praise for the film, came a band of critics who criticised Bhansali for whitewashing and glamorising reality. The stigma attached to the precinct is hardly draped in pristine white fabric; the everyday conversations are rarely timed, eloquent retorts and the stereotypes often seep into the lives of the regular people in the area as well — an unsaid side of the neighbourhood which has found a platform in the documentary of 20-year-old Arnav Pagawad.
A student of the Bachelor of Arts in Film, Television & New Media Production course at the Vile Parle-based Usha Pravin Gandhi College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Pagawad’s documentary, Beyond the Brothels–The Kamathipura Story, releasing this Thursday on YouTube seeks to talk about the other inhabitants of the area. “Most media accounts of Kamathipura are about the commercial sex work that happens there, and while that is true, people don’t see it beyond that perspective,” Pagawad, the director of the film, confesses. A former resident of the locality, Pagawad’s cinematic lens steers clear of the brothels to focus on the crammed chawls and buildings, shops, temples and everyday lives of the factory workers and local residents.
The group during a shoot for the documentary. Pics courtesy/Omkar Naik, Mittal Soni
“My parents and a big chunk of our extended family have lived in Kamathipura for years. The public perspective of the area is heavily influenced by the fact that it is the red light district despite the presence of residential lanes. I wanted to show the other side of the narrative to viewers — stories of people giving fake addresses in job interviews and kids hiding where they lived from peers lest it invites unwanted judgement.
The Shri Pochamma Devi Temple on 11th Lane in Kamathipura
This social perception can set dangerous precedents for everyone,” Pagawad explains, further telling us about an instance in the documentary where one of the interviewers reveals how she was subjected to lewd behaviour at her workplace by a senior just because of her address.
Workers at a metal fabrication workshop in Kamathipura
“I have touched on issues of housing, how the communal riots of 1993 impacted the people in the neighbourhood, the lore behind the Shri Pochamma Devi Temple in the area, and how you can find beautiful contradictions in a place almost solely defined from one standpoint,” he reveals about his nearly two-year-long project.
A man works on a machine in a factory in the locality
Pagawad strongly believes in ‘the more local, the more global’, an idea that his small team of six people, all collegians, also adhere to. “I heard an actor mention it in an interview and it has stayed with me ever since. Our group plans to send the documentary for film festivals as well. But before that I wanted people, and more importantly Mumbaikars to know about it,” he shares.
An old man looks out from the balcony of a chawl in the area
Dabbling in theatre and helming film projects, Pagawad dreams of a lead role in a film someday. “I have always enjoyed watching films by Damien Chazelle, Martin Scorsese and Vikramaditya Motwane. I think it’s only through watching and making films that one can truly grow as an artiste and I hope to be a good artiste someday,” he concludes.
RELEASE DATE May 1
AVAILABLE ON YouTube
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