How time flies: Government funds documentary on RSS!

It is indeed surprising how times change. Once strictly taboo in the corridors of power, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and things connected with it now have official sanction. Well, practically so, with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) of the Government of India actually funding a 30 minute documentary on Dr Keshav Balirampant Hedgewar, the founder of the RSS.
The change in the government's attitude can probably be attributed to the presence of Atal Behari Vajpayee at the helm of affairs in New Delhi. Yet, the RSS, ostracised for its alleged involvement in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi and the demolition of the disputed structure at Ayodhya, has come a long, long way. (The RSS has been banned thrice in the past - in 1948 shortly after the Mahatma's assassination, in 1975, during the emergency, and in 199 after 'Black Sunday' at Ayodhya).
The Films Division, which is under the Ministry of I&B, has sanctioned Rs.10 lakh for producing the documentary on 35 mm film. The documentary is being directed by Yakub Sayeed, a former Doordarshan officer.
The seeds of the documentary were sown in his mind when Sayeed, as Station Director of the Nagpur Centre of Doordarshan, created a storm by producing a programme on RSS in 1985. He was given a stern dressing down by the top brass, but Sayeed stood his ground by asserting that he was only fulfilling his obligation towards the local audience.
Sayeed retired from Doordarshan in 1992. The documentary on Dr Hedgewar remained a pet project. About a year ago, he wrote about the idea to the Prime Minister himself. He got a routine acknowledgement of his letter. Routine, that is, until he received a formal proposal from the Films Division.
And where else would a documentary on RSS be shot, but at Nagpur, the city that witnessed the organisation's birth and growth, and is still at least on paper, its headquarters? Sayeed and his crew recently completed a week-long schedule at various locations in Nagpur, canning some of the most important events in the RSS founder's life. Some more scenes are to be shot over three days in June in Kolkata, where Hedgewar obtained his degree in medical science.
Sayeed has used both narrative and dramatization to move the script. The documentary is Hindi, but will be dubbed in 13 other languages. The documentary is expected to be complete by August, and will be released by the Films division.
A lot of research and preparation has gone into the script. After receiving the sanction from the Films Division, Sayeed read over 60 books on Dr Hedgewar. Experts then gave him a list 60 important incidents in Dr Hedgewar's life. Sayeed selected the 15 most important among them to feature in the documentary.
True to the style of functioning in RSS, the final okay for the script had to come from the top - the Sarsanghchalak himself. Sayeed spent over three hours with RSS chief K. S. Sudarshan in Mumbai several weeks ago to finalise the script. Once the script was approved, Sayeed wanted to waste no time in getting the film on the floor. That explains the hectic shooting schedule in Nagpur during the ferocious summer.
The RSS itself is also extending all cooperation in the film's production. Some scenes were shot at Smruti Mandir in Reshimbag, where RSS has created a memorial to the first two Sarsanghchalaks. (Dr Hedgewar and Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar). It also deployed a squad of 'Swayamsevaks' for a scene of a 'shakha' in progress.
The decision to produce a documentary rather than a full -length feature film is the result of several constraints. According to Sayeed, producing a feature film is a big and costly exercise. It would have been difficult to find a financier for the project. Secondly, he would have been compelled to take 'artistic licence' in feature film, adding imaginary episodes and incidents to keep the narrative going. "My purpose is not to tell a story, but to highlight Dr Hedgewar's thoughts and work. I want to show that Dr Hedgewar was pro-India and not anti-Muslim and that the RSS is not anti-Congress," Sayeed told this correspondent between takes.
Sayeed is, therefore, not bothered whether the actor who plays the lead role resembles Dr Hedgewar: "You cannot have 100 per cent physical resemblance - that is just impossible. I am more concerned about whether the actor can convey the RSS founder's thoughts. I definitely 100 per cent there!"
That is a real challenge for Ramesh Lakhmapure, a Nagpur-based threatre activist, who plays Dr Hedgewar in the documentary. Lakhmapure was reportedly chosen over renowned actors like Sachin Khedekar and Govind Namdeo for the role. A competent theater actor and director, Lakhmapure finds his first film assignment a big learning experience.
The shooting has not been without hiccups. Sayeed was to shoot a scene showing a meeting between Mahatma Gandhi and Dr Hedgewar. However, the schedule went haywire as it took several hours for Govind Mahadeo, who plays Gandhi, to complete his make-up. All the while, Lakhmapure waited patiently in the unbearable head wearing a woolen coat.
Sayeed also wanted to shoot some scenes in the house in the Mahal area of Nagpur where Dr Hedgewar lived. However, he had to drop the idea since he thought the house looked 'too new' consequent to a recent restoration as a memorial.
The fact that a new government will have been installed at the Centre by the time the film is completed and the possibility that is may not be one led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) does not seem to bother Sayeed much. "Mera kaam hai film poori karna. Baaki who jaane (My job is to complete the film. The Films Division will bother about the rest)," he quips.
(Free Press Journal, Mumbai, May 9, 2004)