Aman Kachroo inspires a film

Manish Gupta, the writer of Sarkar, was recently in Delhi to talk about his latest movie, “Hostel” starring Vatsal Seth, Tulip Joshi and Mukesh Tiwari.
Slated to release on January 21, this year, the film is based on the cases of Aman Kachroo, Indu Anto and many others.
This idea came to him 18 years ago, when he was an engineering student and learnt about horrific instances of ragging that infuriated him.That made him angry and after 18 years of extensive research, he finally picked the topic for his film. “I make movies on things that move me a lot, rather than those which are based on fantasy,” he says.
“I tried to learn the psychology behind ragging, and realized that it was repetitive. The victims of this year become the perpetrators next year and this continues. I observed and interviewed many who were involved in ragging, and clubbed 5-6 of the most brutal cases in my film – Aman Kachroo, Indu Anto, amongst a few others,” Manish details.
The film is not devoid of violence, and he’s tried to show many perspectives through this one. Some characters are based on real people who boast about the days when they ragged their juniors. Which makes one wonder if he was badly ragged in his college days. “Luckily, no. I didn’t stay in the college hostel, so I didn't face any sort of ragging.”
Censorship and restriction
“I had to change certain dialogues to get a U/A certificate, but I convinced the censor board that the audience needs to watch it so that they know what really goes on in a college in the name of ‘friendly interaction’. Besides, if my film gets an A certificate, I wouldn't be able to show it to 16-17 year olds who need to see it the most because they will have to go to college very soon.”
The real ragging has never been shown
“I completely disagree with the portrayal of ragging in films where people are laughing in those scenes and show as if it is always fun. With my film, I want to show them the reality of how brutal it can get.” Movies, that have showed ragging, had ragging only as a part of them. “Hostel”, on the other hand, is completely about ragging. The movie is a portrayal of the effects of ragging and the trauma a student goes through. As far as commercial success is concerned, I made this film because it's something I believe in. I could have made a nice romantic college story like “Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na”, but there are enough filmmakers to do that. I know mine is not going to be a blockbuster. I put my career on stake for this film.”
I believe it should make a difference
“I’m a filmmaker who makes movies to entertain people. But I can also change the mindset of my audience. I’ve been receiving very strong reactions from people. I have approached Kapil Sibal and I plan to persuade organizations like UGC and AICTE to ask colleges across the country to take their students for a screening of the film. The students can see it free of cost as the colleges will pay the distributors. It's important to change the mindset of the youngsters as they are the most likely victims and perpetrators of ragging.”
My campaign
Manish came to the city for an anti-ragging road trip and plans to go to Pune, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Indore, Nagpur, Chennai, Lucknow, Gurgaon, Kolkata, Jaipur and Chandigarh for the same. “I’m also working on something about Bhangarh in Rajasthan. I’m very fascinated with that state and Bhangarh is supposed to be one of the most haunted places in the country.”
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