Brief outline
In Nepal, where the caste system is deeply
entrenched and maintained through arranged marriages, elopement is the only way
to marry for love. But when the partner is an untouchable, conservatives punish
the lovers with violence, ethnic cleansing, and even death in order to maintain
the system.
These five love stories, of high-caste girls
running away with untouchable boys, are modern-day versions of Romeo and
Juliet. Manoj and Parbati’s affair causes ethnic cleansing in their village.
Khadga and Jaisara live in the jungle to hold on to their love. The romance of
Shyam and Saraswoti unleashes the wrath of the police on the untouchables.
Kishor faces jail because he loves Ranjana. And the case of Rajib and Sabina,
is it a double suicide, or murder?
Synopsis
Twenty-five-year-old
Manoj leads the narration. His elopement with Parbati, twenty-two, in 2003 led
to ethnic cleansing in his village. Hundreds of high-caste men attacked the
around eighty untouchables, in a bid to drive them out and “purify” the
village, putting the lovers under extreme pressure to separate.
Similarly, when
Khadga, twenty-three, and Jaisara, twenty-one, eloped in 2008, violence between
high-caste and untouchables erupted in the village. The lovers hid in a forest
for several days to escape the wrath of Jaisara’s parents, who wanted to see
them dead. They lost their way in the thick
jungle and nearly starved to death.
In a tale of police
brutality, 22 year old Shyam, a milk vendor, eloped Saraswoti (21) in 2010. Her
parents then bribed the police, who raided the village, tortured Shyam’s
father, injured dozens of untouchables, and took Saraswoti away to be married
to a man of her caste.
In a sensational
court case, Kishor, a 21 year old student who ran away with 17 year old Ranjana
in 2010 was charged with kidnapping and seducing a minor. The judge
controversially dismissed the case against him, which was a victory for all
Nepali youth who believe in love.
In a touching tale of
murder, Rajib came into town to learn the craft of his caste from his uncle,
who owned a jewel shop. But within four months, he fell madly in love with
Sabina. Her family could not accept the relationship. The lovers were found
hanging on a single shawl in the jungle, a chilling warning to the society that
inter-caste relationships are not tolerated.
Long synopsis
This is a story of
four untouchable boys who eloped with high-caste girls. Using only interviews
and novoice over, it tells of love creating a conflict between parents and
children, religion and human rights, of youth who reject their culture to
assert the freedom to love andthe right to marry a partner of their choice. It
also tells ofHindu extremists who view these lovers as a threat to the system,
for an increase in inter-caste marriage will blur caste boundaries and create
an equal society. Therefore conservatives punish the lovers with severe
violence to discourage future elopements.
Twenty-five-year-old Manoj leads the
narration. His elopement with Parbati, twenty-two, in 2003 led to ethnic
cleansing in his village. Hundreds of high-caste men attacked the around eighty
untouchables, in a bid to drive them out and “purify” the village, putting the
lovers under extreme pressure to separate. But they decided to stay together,
against all odds. Now, they are relatively well-off peasant farmers with two
sons.
Similarly, when Khadga,
twenty-three,and Jaisara, twenty-one, eloped in 2008, violence between high-caste and untouchables
erupted in the village. The lovers hid in a forest for several days to escape
the wrath of Jaisara’s parents, who wanted to see them dead. They lost their
way in the thick jungle and nearly
starved to death. But they survived, and now have one son. They are landless
and homeless refugees in their own country, struggling to earn a living by
cultivating other people’s farms.
In a tale of police brutality,
twenty-two-year-old Shyam, a milk vendor, eloped with twenty-one-year-old Saraswoti
in 2010. Her parents bribed the police, who raided the village, tortured
Shyam’s father, injured dozens of untouchables, and took Saraswoti away. But
three months later, Saraswoti escaped from her family where she was kept like a
prisoner and returned to her love. Thereafter, her parents conceded defeat and
disowned her.
The fourth story is of a sensational
court case. Kishor, twenty-one, a university student who ran away with
seventeen-year-old Ranjana in 2010 was charged with kidnapping and seducing a
minor. The judge controversially dismissed the case against him, which was a
victory for all Nepali youth who believe in love.
Rajib and Sabina’s
tale is a chilling reminder for us to take immediate action before the
situation runs out of control. With four months of their meeting, Rajib and
Sabina planned to elope, but her family did not like it. They were found
hanging in the jungle.
These stories evolve over three major
phases, modeled on the classical three-act structure. The first part introduces
us to the subject matter and the characters. It is an ethnographic account of
how they met, how they dated, and how their love blossomed in secrecy amidst
the undercurrents of caste discrimination in their villages.
Being young and innocent, they did not
think there was a very big problem in their communities. It seems a just
society, with the evil of caste fading into the past. The high castes allow
untouchables to live next door, to share their water sources, markets, temples,
and schools. Only after children from the two polar families fall in love does
it surface that high castes are not ready to share blood with untouchables.
Unable to bear the thought of their
love coming to an end, the lovers sneak out of home in the dead of night and
secretly get married. They flee to unknown futures, with barely enough money to
last them a few months past their honeymoon.
This
leads us to the second part, which recounts the consequences of the elopements.
To the untouchables, marrying a high caste is a matter of honor, a way to
uplift their social status and end discrimination. They, therefore, do
everything to support the lovers. But the high castes feel polluted and use
severe violence to restore their honor. Being numerically stronger, they attack
the untouchables to drive them out of the village, or force them to pay very
heavy fines. With influence in the government, they use the police to find the
runaways. The police falsely claim the girl is underage, or frame the boy for
kidnap, and randomly arrest and torture the boy’s relatives until someone
reveals the whereabouts of the runaways. Therefore, to ensure success, the
lovers keep their hiding (honeymoon) place a total secret.
Interviews with scholars, human rights
activists and anthropologists place the events in a theoretical framework to
enable the audience to understand the subject matter.
The last part of the film is about
victory, for this is a happily-ever-after story, a celebration. After all the
pains they endured, the untouchables won. Love won. And that gives us the theme
of the film, that true love will overcome any obstacle.
Director’s Statement and Motivation
In
2008, I went through yet another break-up. My girlfriend was cheating on me.
Depressed, I thought I’d never find true love. That I would grow old in a very
lonely house. I started to search for the meaning of true love. Inevitably, I
stumbled upon love stories from South Asia, which struck me as modern day
versions of Romeo and Juliet grounded in the Hindu caste system. Yet, when I
saw that these lovers face violence, ethnic cleansing and death, and that no
one was talking about it, my motivation to tell this story became the hope that
it will increase protection of the rights of those who fall in love with
untouchables.
Within Nepal, I hope
to raise awareness to the rural public about the legal provisions for
inter-caste marriage. Much of the abuse of human rights happens because the
perpetrators think they are acting within the law. At an international level, I
hope to call upon the global community to pressure the government of Nepal to
punish those who practice caste-based discrimination, and to pressure Hindu
leaders to reform the religion.
I am
from Africa. Living in Nepal opened my eyes to the fate of black South Asians.
I was so often mistaken for an untouchable, and denied entry into restaurants
and people’s houses, simply because of my skin color. And yet no one treats it
as racism.
I hope
this documentary can play a part not only in promoting the freedom to love, but
also in stopping racism, and in compelling Hindu leaders to reform the
religion, which is the major source of discrimination.
Production Notes
I the
director made this film in a period of two years, while I worked in Nepal as a
volunteer with VSO. Before that, I spent about a whole year researching on the
subject of inter-caste relationships and contentious marriages. When I started
thinking of making a documentary about illicit love, I thought of going to a
fundamentalist Muslim country, where honor killings are common if a woman
marries for love against her father’s wishes. However, I discovered that the
plight of women in Muslim countries already has the attention of the
international community, mostly because of the 9/11 catastrophe. Yet, the more
numerous Hindu women have suffered in silence for thousands of years, and the
Western powers pay a deaf ear to their pleas because they do not view Hinduism
as a threat to their interests.
At
first, I wanted to go to India. I applied to Volunteer Services Overseas, but
rarely do they grant you a request to work in a country of your wish. Since I
had shown interest in South Asia, I was offered a placement in Bangladesh and
Nepal. I chose Nepal, which until 2008 was a Hindu kingdom.
While
in Nepal, I worked with the oldest dalit organization, Nepal National Dalit
Social Welfare Organization, whose aim is to uplift the rights and standards of
living of untouchables. I lived in a rural area in the Far Western district of Nepal,
Kailali, in Danghadi town, and this kind of environment enabled me to research
on the cultures as a participant observer. Most of the crimes against
inter-caste couples happen in the rural areas, where the caste system is
followed strictly, and being in close contact with inter-caste couples gave me
an insider’s view of their experiences. It did help a lot that I managed to
master the Nepali language within two months of arriving in Kailali.
Once
I had my story ready, the problem of financing the project presented itself. I
knew I had to make it before my contract with VSO ends, otherwise I would not
have found another chance. But VSO had a small grants program, funded by the
European Commission, and this then gave me access to funds to pay for the basic
costs of filming the characters.
Biographies
Director: Dilman Dila makes social action
documentaries, giving a voice to oppressed and forgotten minorities, with the
mission of creating a world where everyone’s rights are respected. His short
films have screened at numerous international festivals. His short stories have
appeared in several online and print publications. One of these, Homecoming, received a nomination
at the 2008 Million Writers Awards: Notable Online
Stories of 2007. He keeps a blog of his pursuit for happiness, at www.dilmandila.com 
Producer:
Reiza S. Dejito is a humanitarian worker, social activist, writer, editor,
traveler and blogger. Her love for stories led her to the man of her dreams,
and her strong belief that stories can bring about positive change in the world
encouraged her to venture into the world of filmmaking. She keeps a blog of her travels. Follow it on www.wander-if-you-must.com 
Photography:
Krishna
Ohm Thapa has filmed documentaries since 2000. His major works include the
feature documentary, Sherpas - The True heroes of Mt. Everest,
which won best film at the Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival, and Raute: The Last Nomadic Tribe Of Nepal.Technical Information
Original Title: Untouchable
Love
Director: Dilman
Dila
Original Language: Nepali, Hindi, Maithili, English
Subtitles: English
Duration: Approx. 90 minutes
Genre: Documentary
Country of Production: Nepal
Year of Production: 2011
Audio: Stereo
Shooting Format: DVCam, PAL, 16:9, Color
Exhibition Format: MiniDV, HDCam, DigiBeta, BetaCam
Categories:
