At the recently concluded Bangalore International Film Festival, the Kannada film 19.20.21 directed by Mansore, won the special jury award. Released early in March, the film created ripples among cinephiles. On social media, film enthusiasts discussed and debated the merits and limitations of the film, the politics of its director, its treatment, etc. While much of the conversation centred around the need for political cinema in Kannada and the legal and social dimensions of 19.20.21’s story, what got eclipsed in the midst of these and what certainly deserves a special mention is the performance by Shrunga who plays the role of Manju, the protagonist.
The character of Manju played by Shrunga in the film is based on the real-life character of Vitthala Malekudiya. Manju is a first-generation literate and a graduate from his tribal community. When the region around their village is declared a National Park, the villagers get subjected to atrocity at the hands of the Anti-Naxal Force, because of the alleged Naxal movement in the area. In a series of actions on uneven fields, Manju and his father get framed as Naxalites by the Police and the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF). The reason for Manju and his father to be framed, the aftermath of it and the legal battle, which in the end declares both Manju and his father innocent, form the storyline of the film.
Through the life of Manju, the film highlights the significance of Article-19, 20 and 21 of the Indian Constitution, and also draws attention to the inhuman UA(P)A that has ruined the lives of many in this country. Since a lot has been written about the film — its text and context — this article doesn’t wish to speak about the same thing again.
The character of Manju, written by Mansore and Veerendra Mallanna, is a mixture of opposites — vulnerability and resilient strength, clarity of thought and self-doubt of a kind. The sociology and psychology of the character are interrelated here and it is the social life of Manju that makes him the person he is.
Manju, coming from a tribal community, because of the structure of the community and its coexistence with nature, is tender and non-aggressive. He is the first person from his community to get educated, with an unshaken support from his parents, and this gives Manju a certain level of inner strength. But, when he comes into interacting with the world outside, like it happens with most tribal people, Manju feels unequal and inferior; and is not the same Manju when he is among his people. The aggressive attacks of the ANF add to the force of the world, which creates a dent in the morale of Manju and his community. Close engagement with the left party and their movements, in addition to his education, widens Manju's horizon, giving him a deeper and broader idea of right and wrong, just and unjust. These forces create a mixed energy within Manju, neither making him a completely confident person nor a completely unconfident person; and neither making him full of revolutionary strength nor a submissive individual without agency. Manju is being made and unmade at the same time, by the opposing forces that are cutting through his life.
Caught and baked in the fire caused by the friction between these opposing forces, Manju turns into what he is — one who is vulnerable and resilient at the same time. It is this mixture of opposites that is difficult to enact and it is this very dimension of the character which Shrunga in his performance has captured beautifully and convincingly. This article intends to look at a few instances where Shrunga as Manju carries this complex grey zone with utmost impact.
Rafi (Rajesh Nataranga), leader of a Left party, and his comrades along with the journalist Vijay (Venkatesh Prasad) have visited Manju’s village — Kudumale. He is addressing the people of Kudumale — and Manju, the main point of contact for Rafi and Vijay to the villagers, is standing by Rafi. After speaking about the rights of the tribal people and the responsibility of the State towards them, Rafi points at Manju, setting him as an example for the community, and suggests Manju speak to the gathering. Manju remains silent for a while. His hesitation in silence is underlined by his community asking him, in a playful manner, to speak. Manju who was standing with his eyes lowered and hands behind, now begins to speak. As he starts to speak, his body language begins to change. His eyes meet with the eyes of his people, his hands come forward and when he declares one needs to question, the hands get risen. And a slight accumulation of strength can be seen in his body, not just in his voice. It almost feels like a creeper, leaning on support, turning into a plant, standing by itself.
But then Shrunga doesn't bring so much energy that it would make Manju seem like a revolutionary or even heroic. The actor, it appears, is aware that transition is a slow process and knows how to mark the initial stage of this change. So, when his speech is applauded by the members of the community and the members of the left party, Manju not being used to public appreciation becomes conscious and immediately ties his hand back. His shoulders drop slightly, and he also lowers his eye, to go back to the same position as in the beginning. All of this is done subtly. This transition is made evident by the nuanced acting skill of Shrunga, which gives us a deeper understanding of Manju.
As Manju becomes more politically conscious and aware, parallelly his academic success also boosts his confidence, and it begins to reflect in his body language. The hesitant self of Manju is missing when he, along with other villagers, goes to the Police Station requesting to file a complaint about heir villager Hanumanna’s (Sampath Maitreya) disappearance. Manju is more assertive and firmer now, unlike when he first addressed the villagers. This gradual change in the character is marked beautifully by Shrunga through his body language, dialogue delivery and through silence.
The way Manju interacts with Vijay and Rafi the very first time he meets them and the way the texture and nature of the interaction change as their bond gets strengthened is made visible by Shrunga’s acting skills, which also gives the film and its different timelines, an arc and a life-like quality. The cluttered and abrupt speech in the first meeting, and the unbroken speech in a hurry over a call with Vijay when returning home to meet the father, underlines the passage in time and also the shift in the quality of the relationship, the maturity of the association. There is an escalation.
This sort of escalation and transition, keeping in mind the mindset of the character, is also visible in the 'fiction' that is woven by the inspector, saying it is a confession by Manju. In the dramatization of this 'fiction', we see Manju meeting a bunch of Naxalites, being impressed with them, going to meet them, getting trained under them, and returning to his village with some responsibilities thrusted on him by the Naxal leader. When Manju meets the Naxals for the first time, he is in awe of them and at the end of their first interaction he is introduced to the slogan 'Laal Salaam'. This time Shrunga, as Manju, says it more like an imitation in excitement; the excitement being of getting to know the Naxals. Him being uninitiated by the slogan and sloganeering is seen by his utterance of the slogan in a slightly casual manner. Later we see Manju going to meet the Naxals at their camp and he is welcomed with the slogan 'Laal Salaam'. This time Shrunga delivers the slogan with less of an adolescent excitement and more as a willing participant with transformative enthusiasm. Once he undergoes the training and is being sent back to the village, the Naxal leader, after instructing Manju his responsibilities, sees him off with the same slogan. This time Shrunga delivers 'Laal Salaam' with complete conviction and with slight aggression. The three 'Laal Salaams are delivered differently and the subtle difference between them shows the transition of the character from being an excited outsider to an enthusiastic participant and later a passionate insider.
These moments make Manju not come across just as a category or caricature of tribal, oppressed, innocent, victim, survivor etc. Shrunga's subtle and nuanced performance gives the character of Manju a rooting in reality, making him come across as a human journeying through life, and not just a character being depicted or enacted. These nuances give the character more insight, more interiority than the dramatic moments such as the one where he requests the lawyer to get permission from the court to sleep for a night, or the unfolding of the fist when the handcuffs are opened outside the examination hall.
The writers of the film Mansore and Veerendra Mallanna deserve special appreciation for the way they conceived the end of the film. Of course, the writers and also the director, wouldn't have stuck to that ending if not convinced about the ability of their actor Shrunga to pull off that moment as envisaged by them.
The court declares Manju and his father innocent and acquits them. Though that moment is celebratory for Rafi, Vijay, Adv Suresh, and also for us as the audience, it certainly is not a moment to give a punch in the air for Manju. It is too overwhelming. A decade-long battle with the mighty state has finally come to an end, and justice has been served.
But the punishment lived, the price paid, for no fault, for no reason is not forgotten and cannot be forgotten. The coming out of the claustrophobic hell-hole is relieving. But the scars caused while crawling out of the narrow tunnel are still hurting. Moreover, the question — of what was my fault — is still haunting, even after being declared innocent. This fragile moment of mixed emotions gives the political film a slight epic touch. Shrunga turns that moment poetic when he captures that moment in all its dimensions — the joy of victory, relief of being unlabelled, the fatigue of the long battle, the burden of the unhealed wounds; all at once. It, undoubtedly, is one of the most powerful moments in Kannada cinema, and a performance that shines bright and sets a new benchmark for actors.