Red Ant Dream
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, image = Red Ant Dream.jpg , caption = Red Ant Dream , director =
Sanjay Kak Sanjay Kak (born 1958) is an Indian author, activist and self-taught film-maker. He is known for his documentaries about environmental activism and Civil resistance, resistance politics. Background and education Kak was born into a family of K ...
, writer =
Sanjay Kak Sanjay Kak (born 1958) is an Indian author, activist and self-taught film-maker. He is known for his documentaries about environmental activism and Civil resistance, resistance politics. Background and education Kak was born into a family of K ...

Tarun Bhartiya , cinematography =
Sanjay Kak Sanjay Kak (born 1958) is an Indian author, activist and self-taught film-maker. He is known for his documentaries about environmental activism and Civil resistance, resistance politics. Background and education Kak was born into a family of K ...

Ranjan Palit
Setu Pandey , editing = Tarun Bhartiya , music = Word Sound Power / Delhi Sultanate & Chris McGuiness , released = , runtime = 120 minutes , country = India , language = Gondi, Oriya,
Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...
''Red Ant Dream'' (Hindi: माटी के लाल) is a 2013 documentary film directed by
Sanjay Kak Sanjay Kak (born 1958) is an Indian author, activist and self-taught film-maker. He is known for his documentaries about environmental activism and Civil resistance, resistance politics. Background and education Kak was born into a family of K ...
. This documentary is based on the rebel Maoist movement in India. The documentary has been screened in various cities in India since 8 May 2013. It follows the Maoist protests and ambushes which feature the circumstances and environments of the
Maoists Maoism, officially called Mao Zedong Thought by the Chinese Communist Party, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed to realise a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of Chi ...
. It sheds light on what goes on with the
Maoists Maoism, officially called Mao Zedong Thought by the Chinese Communist Party, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed to realise a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of Chi ...
, what they are fighting for where they have been allegedly mistreated by the government. The movement is said to be based on Bhagat Singh and Avtar Sandu Singh "Pash", who are the faces for the Maoist movement in India. The film follows all parts of India where the Maoist movement exists and discusses the problems that they allegedly face such as: harsh living conditions and being on constant look out for Police in India. The documentary has a focus on the types of protests that the
Maoists Maoism, officially called Mao Zedong Thought by the Chinese Communist Party, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed to realise a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of Chi ...
hold like singing, marching and chanting together. The documentary portrays how guerilla warfare is a necessary tactic that has "made it impossible for them to be targeted". It is also claimed that there is no other way to defend themselves from
Operation Green Hunt Operation Green Hunt is the name used by the Indian media to describe the "all-out offensive by paramilitary forces and the states forces" against the Naxalites. The operation is believed to have begun in November 2009 along five states in th ...
, an operation put in place by the
Indian Government The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the Government, national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy lo ...
to eradicate the
Maoists Maoism, officially called Mao Zedong Thought by the Chinese Communist Party, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed to realise a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of Chi ...
. The
operation Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...
included 4000 Police Officers led by around 600 elite commanders of the Anti-Naxal Cobra Force which is the biggest ever counter-revolutionary operation.


Synopsis

This documentary deals with the issue of " Maoist insurgency in India". It focuses on the Maoists in Bastar in
Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (, ) is a landlocked state in Central India. It is the ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the seventeenth most populous. It borders seven states – Uttar Pradesh to the north, Madhya Prade ...
, tribals fighting against industrialists in
Niyamgiri The Niyamgiri is a hill range situated in the districts of Kalahandi and Rayagada in the south-west of Odisha, India. These hills are home to Dongria Kondh indigenous people. The hills have one of India's most pristine forests in the interior ...
in
Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...
and protestors acting in memory of the Leftist revolutionary Bhagat Singh in
Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
. This film portrays the people of these regions resisting oppression. The Movie begins by explaining what the catalyst was for the explosion of the Maoist movement in India which was the killing of Bhagat Singh who was an Indian Revolutionary in the 1930s when India was Imperialized by the British, and the killing of
Pash Pash (9 September 1950 – 23 March 1988) was the pen name of Avtar Singh Sandhu, one of the major poets in the Punjabi literature of the 1970s. He was killed by extremists on 23 March 1988. His strongly left-wing views were reflected in his ...
, who was a Revolutionary poet. The Naxalites look to them as
martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...
s and try to finish what they started by continuing the Revolution. They have been called Naxalites ever since the armed uprising that had flared in Naxalbari, Bengal. The first part of the film reveals how the
Maoists Maoism, officially called Mao Zedong Thought by the Chinese Communist Party, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed to realise a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of Chi ...
protest by showing the slogans they chant and different rally's where the leaders inspire the
Maoist Maoism, officially called Mao Zedong Thought by the Chinese Communist Party, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed to realise a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of Ch ...
crowds. The film then moves into how the
Indian government The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the Government, national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy lo ...
treats the
Maoists Maoism, officially called Mao Zedong Thought by the Chinese Communist Party, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed to realise a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of Chi ...
. According to the film, the Prime Minister of India,
Manmohan Singh Manmohan Singh (; born 26 September 1932) is an Indian politician, economist and statesman who served as the 13th prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He is also the third longest-serving prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indir ...
, strongly opposed the
Maoist movement Maoism, officially called Mao Zedong Thought by the Chinese Communist Party, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed to realise a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of Chi ...
labeling them as terrorists and making them his number one priority. The Maoists believe that the only real terror is State terror. The Government complains about the Maoists, but the Maoists believe the fight is for survival, everybody's survival. The film claims that there have been cases where the Government has labeled criminals not associated with
Maoists Maoism, officially called Mao Zedong Thought by the Chinese Communist Party, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed to realise a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of Chi ...
as
Maoists Maoism, officially called Mao Zedong Thought by the Chinese Communist Party, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed to realise a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of Chi ...
, in order to make them look worse to the general public. The next part of the film depicts the life of the Naxalites and how they survive by living in the forests. Making it clear that at this point they are fighting for survival as Capitalist companies are devastating the forests and scheming the system in order to pay the workers less than the official rate that the Companies list, effectively leaving the workers helpless. The
Maoists Maoism, officially called Mao Zedong Thought by the Chinese Communist Party, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed to realise a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of Chi ...
fear that the Earth will be taken by Capitalist countries trying to make more money and will eventually leave the Naxalites without a home. As the movie progresses it shows the
Maoist Maoism, officially called Mao Zedong Thought by the Chinese Communist Party, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed to realise a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of Ch ...
guerrilla warfare Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or Irregular military, irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, Raid (military), raids ...
tactics: the soldiers are seen training in the forest because that is the only safe way for them to train and also the most realistic for how they fight against the government. Kak then moves into footage and interviews he found with Police officers recounting details of Maoist attacks as well as victims and their families telling stories of how they or a loved one was treated by the government, throughout the next 20 minutes of the documentary. The Police officers believe that the Naxalites have misled the people, trained them and in order to stop the Revolutionaries they need to turn the people on the
Maoists Maoism, officially called Mao Zedong Thought by the Chinese Communist Party, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed to realise a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of Chi ...
. In the next interview a woman whose husband was brutally murdered recounts the scene when he was killed. She describes him as unarmed and surrounded by police, they proceeded to beat him up, attack him with axes and knives, chop off his limbs and take his child who they have not seen since. The end of this part of the documentary shows Maoist footage of 12 police officers attacking the Naxalites where the Naxalites let the remaining 3 police officers surrender and go home instead of killing them. The last part of the film starts off by focusing on the people who died fighting for the cause, and the Naxalites telling their story to get people to try to join the fight against the government. Since it's the end of the film Kak ties it all together by reiterating the reasons the Maoists are fighting. The Indian government is allowing Capitalist companies to mine and start other special projects which lead to the displacement of the tribes and the destruction of their way of life. The
Maoists Maoism, officially called Mao Zedong Thought by the Chinese Communist Party, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed to realise a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of Chi ...
stress that most of the demands of the Naxalites fall within the Indian Constitution, but due to the mistreatment of the people the
Maoists Maoism, officially called Mao Zedong Thought by the Chinese Communist Party, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed to realise a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of Chi ...
have become cynical of the Indian Constitution, hearkening to a poem written by
Pash Pash (9 September 1950 – 23 March 1988) was the pen name of Avtar Singh Sandhu, one of the major poets in the Punjabi literature of the 1970s. He was killed by extremists on 23 March 1988. His strongly left-wing views were reflected in his ...
where he declares that the Indian Constitution is dead and not worth reading. The
Maoists Maoism, officially called Mao Zedong Thought by the Chinese Communist Party, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed to realise a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of Chi ...
say that the
Indian government The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the Government, national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy lo ...
is responsible for all of the violence occurring in
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
because the more intense and extensive havoc created by the government such as killing, torturing and raping will breed the intense resistance of the armed minorities. In the film Kak includes an audio of the police getting an order to seek out any possible Naxalites and to kill any journalists that come to cover them. He is trying to reiterate how little the government cares about the people. The documentary ends with the people marching together and kids training to join the fight, practicing to shoot in the forests.


Production

Sanjay Kak Sanjay Kak (born 1958) is an Indian author, activist and self-taught film-maker. He is known for his documentaries about environmental activism and Civil resistance, resistance politics. Background and education Kak was born into a family of K ...
is an independent Indian filmmaker who has made other documentaries such as Jashn-e-Azadi, Words on Water which won Best Long Film prize at the International Festival of Environmental Film & Video, Brazil, and In the Forests Hangs a Bridge which won Golden Lotus Best Documentary Film National Film Awards; Asian Gaze Award, Pusan Short Film Festival, Korea. In an interview with Red Pepper, Kak talks about why he chose
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
as his subject for his documentary, saying "In
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, the legacy of Gandhi has been conveniently deployed by all sorts of political formations to delegitimise any kind of radical challenge to the form of the state. As if the inherent nature of Indian society is 'non-violent', and vegetarian to boot! Whereas the truth is that this is a society constructed on the violence of the caste system. And this is a system that has frequently reinvented itself with the passage of time, in order to fit newer forms of social and political mobilisation." He sees himself as a political filmmaker who tries to capture beauty in complex and disturbing areas of the world. He describes "the struggle is always to find a language in film that is appropriate to one's politics" while also trying to persuade his viewers with his own political understanding. A staple of Kak's films is his use of poetry in order to connect India's past to its present noting that
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
has a very rich history of poetry in relation with resistance and it helps him to emphasize the sentiments of his subjects in his films. He is not specifically focused on the people in the margins, but notes that he focuses on the people that he is "most excited, energised and renewed by" which continues to draw him back into the theme of
resistance Resistance may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * Either of two similarly named but otherwise unrelated comic book series, both published by Wildstorm: ** ''Resistance'' (comics), based on the video game of the same title ** ''T ...
. ''Red Ant Dream'' was financed by funds given by an
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) is the world's largest documentary film festival held annually since 1988 in Amsterdam. Over a period of twelve days, it has screened more than 300 films and sold more than 250,000 tic ...
Fund grant and a prize from the Busan International Film Festival. During the Busan International Film Festival the Asian Cinema Fund provides filmmakers the opportunity to share their work with one another giving them a "pan-Asian network" which gives the filmmakers the ability to establish their films and "position themselves as important parts of the film industry". Their goal is to be able to show high quality Asian films around the world.


Reviews

The film has been well-received by critics. Tansuhree Bhasin, writer for Sunday Guardian, in his review of Red Ant Dream, said "In a sense ''Red Ant Dream'' gives a face to what the state calls the 'greatest internal security threat' to the country". He notes how Kak has been outspoken about the Indian state's allegedly oppressive regime and it's "dodgy affair with capitalism and foreign investment"


References


External links

* * {{IMDb title, 3122666, Red Ant Dream __FORCETOC__ Indian documentary films Films about Naxalism Documentary films about politics 2013 films 2013 documentary films