Newton: The irony of Indian democracy

The film starts keeping a any turnouts in first few hours

character at the centre named of the Election Day and nobody
Newton (Nutan Kumar) who is a except Newton was worried about.
government clerk by profession; However, the scenario changed
he is honest and has divine when the DIG (Deputy inspector
faith on the Indian general of police) called the
parliamentary democracy. He officials to inform that foreign
wants to make a change in this journalists are visiting the
system full of problems but area and the show of elections
believes that the way to do it should look happening, free and
lies in the doctrine of the fair.
system itself. A photo of Dr. B.
R. Ambedkar in his room gives Atma Singh took up charge,
some clues of his inspiration in troops were sent into the
this regard. villages and adivasis were
forced to come to the polling
As a part of his duty he chose booth. When the villagers came
to conduct election as a to know for the first time that
presiding officer in a Maoist this whole election system was
controlled area in Dandakaranya, all about choosing their
Chhattisgarh. The film representatives to Delhi, the
beautifully portrays his villages promptly forwarded
contradiction with a para- their Patil (leader of the
military commander Atma Singh adivasi clan or village). The
who ideologically is a man of irony was that while there was
the status quo. He believes that no mechanism in this democratic
the current status quo with all system to incorporate him who
its problems shall prevail, and was the actual leader of the
rather than being divine, the people, none of the so called
laws and democratic appearance leaders in the ballot list among
of the system is just to run it which they have to choose were
smoothly. Newton wants to known to them.
conduct free and fair election
in the area and Atma Singh with “Voting Machine Ek Khilona Jaisa
support of the higher officials, Hai.. Jo Pasand Aaye Achcha Lage
in the name of security from the Woh Button Daba Do.” (“Voting
Maoists, tries to neutralize all machine is like a toy.. press
his efforts. any button you feel like”) said
Atma Singh. As directed, at one
After reaching the polling end the adivasis started
booth, on looking at the signs “playing with the toy” without
of torture by the Indian armed knowing whom they are voting for
forces and by seeing their and at the other end greatness
behavior with the people, it of the Indian electoral system
slowly gets clear to Newton that was sung by the journalists to
they were nothing but mammoths the media. The hypocrisy of the
of terror in front of the Indian Parliamentary Democracy
villagers. As expected, the was brazen! And Newton watched
polling booth did not receive the whole affair helplessly, he

SPARK- An initiative of Ambedkar Bhagat Singh Study Circle. Issue no. 3, October 2017 1
tried to complain the anomalies Throughout the process of the
to the DIG but he seemed to be election a local adivasi school
aware of everything and more teacher Malko Netam stayed with
than happy about it. Newton and the team. It appeared
as if she was present as a
As the movie progresses, more representative of the adivasi
and more truth about the system community to watch what this
unfolds, but the stock of democracy could offer them, and
answers Newton has becomes she probably got the answer, or
smaller and smaller. The film is maybe she already had the
written and made in a similar answers.
spirit, not by someone with
sustained answers, but by ones
who discovered lot of questions.
The maker’s personal
astonishment while this
discovery causes both, the magic
of the narrative and the lack of
end-to-end clarity. Like for
example, we hear a lot about the
terror of Maoists in the film,
but learn nothing about their
passion. The movie raises tough
questions; it does not show the
way to bring a change but
passionately shows the dire need
of it. However, it also suggests
that bringing such a change
won’t be quick or easy.

At last, in order to carry on

with the voting further, Newton
had to take up gun against the
security forces and Atma Singh.
This time the irony was that to
ensure a basic right of voting
granted by the constitution, a
man of the system had to take up
arms against the system. The
situation raises obvious
question whether the state is at
all honest while granting such
rights.

The film presents these ironies

with beautiful humor in a
satirical way. While the
audience laughed at the satires
the film presented, knowingly or
unknowingly they laughed at the
irony of the Indian democracy.

SPARK- An initiative of Ambedkar Bhagat Singh Study Circle. Issue no. 3, October 2017 2