A smart documentary on the imperfections of charity cases portrayed through the director’s relationship with a Bangalore ragpicker
I IS FOR INDIA
I find the subject of “perfect victims” fascinating, but not reflected enough in culture. So I get very happy when I come across a nuanced study of how our perceptions change when the victim, the charity case, someone who is supposed to be meek, helpless and unquestionably good, turns out to be more complicated and with a touch of evil. This documentary is exactly that. Director Indu Krishnan tries to help Zakhir, a ragpicker from Bangalore who is full of empathy and has a dream of making his own movie, only to discover that there are darker layers to the gentle young man who was abused as a child. This film is an invitation to contemplate how we relate to those we help and what are the boundaries that are created this way between ourselves and others.
Good Guy, Bad Guy, 2018
Director: Indu Krishnan
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