I wanted to showcase our dance form to the world, says Dollu filmmaker Sagar Puranik

Filmmaker Sagar Puranik’s Kannada-language feature Dollu has been screened at several film festivals, including the 52nd International Film Festival of India, Goa. The film showcases the folk dance from Karnataka Dollu Kunitha, which is in peril due to a paucity of practitioners. 

Puranik’s short film Mahaan Hutatma, which portrayed the selfless sacrifice of fallen freedom fighters and soldiers of the Indian army, won the National award, becoming the only Kannada-language film to win a Special Mention for a non-feature film.

Puranik, who is making his feature debut with Dollu, delved into the ways in which the rich art forms of India can be preserved. He posits an outlook that encourages inclusivity and urges the guardians of tradition to open their minds and hearts, instead of mulishly sticking to the rules.

In an exclusive chat, the filmmaker discussed the inspiration behind the film, “Dollu Kunitha is a very popular art form in Karnataka. It is performed at the initiation of any event — an opening ceremony, a new house… any event. One time, when I was at a government event, they suddenly started playing the drums and I got goosebumps. It hit me that if this is the impact live, I’m sure if it were elevated on the big screen, with all the colouring and the story and 5.1 sound design, it would be a new feel, for me… not as a director but as a fan of the art. I thought it would be something new and that is how the idea came up.”

Along with the art form, urbanization and capitalism and its effect on youth from the villages are examined in the film. “The concept of urbanisation also hit me because when I travel, the drivers complain about the traffic, without realizing that they are part of the traffic. These boys have come from smaller towns in search of greener pastures.

"I thought I could club this factor and Dollu and that’s how the film happened. I happened to have one of the best producers a director can have, Pawan Wadeyar. He is a blockbuster filmmaker and has done so many films, and this is his first production. So for a director like him to trust his money on another director… I am very thankful to him and his wife, Apeksha Purohitji, for supporting me,” he said.

A film with a social message, Dollu urges conservative priests and observers of the diktats of tradition to do away with bias on the basis of gender and class.

Discussing this aspect in his film, he said, “Dollu Kunitha used to be called a male art form mainly because the drums are heavy and how does someone dance along with them? I think that this was the reason why women were not allowed to play the dollu [double-headed drum native to Karnataka] before. Now it has all changed, of course…This used to be called a male art form and I believe women are way stronger than men mentally and physically and they can carry off anything and that’s what I am trying to portray here.”

Speaking about some of the challenges in bringing the energetic and powerful art form alive on screen, he said, “I had a great team and dedicated artists and technicians. Only because of them do you enjoy what you see on the screen. We hired professional actors and national-level Dollu Kunitha performers so they also had a touch of drama as they used to do theatre. The professional actors were given intense drumming lessons and the drummers were given acting lessons. I believe in realistic expressions, I’m not a fan of melodrama so the expressions did not have to be too loud. It’s because of their dedication that it happened.

“India is a land of culture. Every 50 km the dialect changes, the dressing changes, the behaviour changes, so there are so many cultures. I am proud to represent my state and art form, which I wanted people to see. I believe it is one of the most difficult art forms to perform because the drums are really heavy and you have the costumes, you are out there in the sun and you have to move in a synchronized manner with eight to 10 other people. I don’t know another art form that is so physically and mentally draining, and along with all of this there’s music and a visual aspect; there’s everything in this art form, which is why I wanted to showcase it to the world,” he added.

Talking about what excites him as a filmmaker and the themes that he is interested in taking up in the future, Puranik said, “I started off with a story on the Indian army and the freedom fighters of India, including Bhagat Singh, and now I have done a film on culture and art forms. Whatever I do, I want it to be related to our soil, our country, our culture and our people and show our people in a good light… every society all over the world has its pluses and minuses. We’ve shown enough of minuses, it’s time to show the positives.

"India is progressing and we as progressive people have to show progressive things about our country. That’s what I hope to do. Along with that, I want to show my skill, my ideology, my thought process and if I could act in one of my projects that would be great because I’ve been wanting to act.”

Dollu was screened at the Habitat International Film Festival, which was held from 6 to 15 May in New Delhi. The filmmaker is planning to release the film in theatres.