Watch this feature film unfold the lives of people from the tribal community this weekend

A moment from the film

One day, while reading a collection of folk tales by Paul Bunyan, filmmaker Shishir Jha was enraptured. They told stories that resonated with him and illuminated the relationship between humans and nature. This inspired him to create Tortoise Under the Earth, his first feature film about the life of a tribal couple from Jharkhand, coping with the loss of their daughter.

Jagannath and Mugli practise a scene

As he gears up for its screening at G5A's Cinema House tomorrow, he shares, "I had only read about the uranium mining area where I shot the film. It wasn't until I reached there, that I began experiencing their lifestyle, their language and the way land slowly changed each day. I stayed for a year. I met Jagannath and Mugli Baskey during this process. While I couldn't understand their native language, I understood how much the land meant for Jagannath." This connection led the Baskeys to become the protagonists of Jha's docufiction, narrating the interdependence of forests and communities that call them their home.

Shishir Jha

He admits that his initial plan was to create a film that was poetic but he soon realised that it had to be something beyond that. "The mining activities had displaced several communities. It was important for me to articulate that," he says. The film is in Santhal. Jha tells us that he didn't want to direct and impose but rather just listen and follow. He will be in discussion with the audience after the screening, sharing what went behind the images that make the film a sensitive work of art.

On: May 20; 11.30 am
At: G5A Warehouse, Mahalaxmi West
Log on to: insider.in
Cost: Rs 250