JOURNEYS
India 2003 | 39 Min. | 35 mm, OF
A hellish trip. Every day in Mumbai seven million commuters use the suburban rail network. Every year almost 4,000 people die in accidents. They fall off the trains, are dragged along or run over. A five hour journey to and from work is not unusual. The trains are overfilled. Passengers on the platforms are driven into the trains by railway employees with batons. A hand grasps an iron grill. Elbows touch. One passenger tries to breathe past the arm of his neighbour. It is quiet. The only sounds are the rattling of the wheels and the swelling of noise as the train gathers speed. Suddenly a hubbub as the train stops at the station and even more people force their way onto the train. “In a few years Mumbai will have a population of 20 million, all of whom will be on the move. What are the politicians doing about this? Progress in India means expansion to a Superpower status with nuclear weapons. Countless millions flow into research, while everywhere else basic necessities are lacking.”
Vinayan Kodoth has made a cinematic work of art as his protest against this nightmare city.