Prakash Jha’s Mattoo ki Saikil is a commentary on the lives of India’s working class

Express News Service

The versatile Prakash Jha has donned the actor’s cap again in his latest Bollywood release Mattoo ki Saikil, which is a commentary on the lives of the working class. Capturing the helplessness of the proletariat—like Jha’s national award-winning directorial Damul (1985)—through the life of the titular character, the film follows the struggle of a daily wage labourer to buy a new cycle when he loses the first one after a truck runs over it. Directed by debutant M Gani, the film hit the screens on September 16.

“Mattoo Ki Saikil is not just the story of one man. It’s the story of thousands and lakhs of labourers
and the life they live. I took up the role as a challenge. The good thing was that I was familiar with the character of a labourer. I have known many labourers like Mattoo throughout my life, but to become one of them was a hard task,” says Jha, adding, “The plot is not the same as Damul’s, but yes, the genres are the same. That too was the study of the rural class. Mattoo ki Saikil is close to the kind of cinema I love doing.”

In the process of bringing the character to life, the 70-year-old says, “For many mornings, I joined labourers while they waited for work, smoked bidis, had lunch with them. Twice I was mistaken for a labourer. The idea was to understand their lives and dreams.”

Having grown up in a small town (Champaran in Bihar) himself, reflecting on the nuances of village life came naturally to Jha. He understood why a cycle held so much value to Mattoo. “I was six years old and learnt how to cycle on my father’s bicycle. I used to half-pedal. We didn’t have any other means of transport then. The cycle was not an adventure, it was a necessity,” the actor says.

Mattoo Ki Saikil is Jha’s third stint as an actor after Jai Gangajal (2016) and Saandh ki Aankh (2019), and while he enjoys the craft of slipping into a character’s skin, it is writing that he truly cherishes. “I enjoy acting when something good comes my way. I love directing films as well, but I enjoy writing the most. The madness of writing is something else,” he says.

Jha has also explored OTT with his web series Ashram (which has a fourth season in the making), which revolves around a godman who cons people to accumulate wealth. But, Jha does not prefer one over the other. “The two are different. Web series gives you the latitude of spreading the story in multiple subplots. In films, you tell a story in a short span, so you have to tell it exclusively. Both have their own demands. For me, the investment is the same in all mediums,” the director-producer says.

It will not be a stretch to say that Jha is political. Besides stepping into the political world by fighting two Lok Sabha elections from Champaran, his films establish him as someone who attempts to address raging issues of our times. There’s Gangaajal (2002) which deals with crime and punishment, Aarakshan (2011) that talks about caste-based reservations, Satyagraha (2013) sheds light on corruption, and Rajneeti (2010) attempts to unravel the malicious workings within a political family.

Continuing his streak of enriching cinema, Jha is now working on a series based on the life of former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao, adapted from Vinay Senapati’s book, Half Lion. “The period of economic reforms and privatisation has been a huge topic of interest for me; the man didn’t get his due. There’s another film Laal Batti based on Chanakya,” he says.

<br /> The versatile Prakash Jha has donned the actor’s cap again in his latest Bollywood release Mattoo ki Saikil, which is a commentary on the lives of the working class. Capturing the helplessness of the proletariat—like Jha’s national award-winning directorial Damul (1985)—through the life of the titular character, the film follows the struggle of a daily wage labourer to buy a new cycle when he loses the first one after a truck runs over it. Directed by debutant M Gani, the film hit the screens on September 16.</p> <p>“Mattoo Ki Saikil is not just the story of one man. It’s the story of thousands and lakhs of labourers<br /> and the life they live. I took up the role as a challenge. The good thing was that I was familiar with the character of a labourer. I have known many labourers like Mattoo throughout my life, but to become one of them was a hard task,” says Jha, adding, “The plot is not the same as Damul’s, but yes, the genres are the same. That too was the study of the rural class. Mattoo ki Saikil is close to the kind of cinema I love doing.”</p> <p>In the process of bringing the character to life, the 70-year-old says, “For many mornings, I joined labourers while they waited for work, smoked bidis, had lunch with them. Twice I was mistaken for a labourer. The idea was to understand their lives and dreams.”</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.85 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad200503 " id="quads-ad200503" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.85 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="1823845571"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>Having grown up in a small town (Champaran in Bihar) himself, reflecting on the nuances of village life came naturally to Jha. He understood why a cycle held so much value to Mattoo. “I was six years old and learnt how to cycle on my father’s bicycle. I used to half-pedal. We didn’t have any other means of transport then. The cycle was not an adventure, it was a necessity,” the actor says.</p> <p>Mattoo Ki Saikil is Jha’s third stint as an actor after Jai Gangajal (2016) and Saandh ki Aankh (2019), and while he enjoys the craft of slipping into a character’s skin, it is writing that he truly cherishes. “I enjoy acting when something good comes my way. I love directing films as well, but I enjoy writing the most. The madness of writing is something else,” he says.</p> <p>Jha has also explored OTT with his web series Ashram (which has a fourth season in the making), which revolves around a godman who cons people to accumulate wealth. But, Jha does not prefer one over the other. “The two are different. Web series gives you the latitude of spreading the story in multiple subplots. In films, you tell a story in a short span, so you have to tell it exclusively. Both have their own demands. For me, the investment is the same in all mediums,” the director-producer says.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.85 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad200503 " id="quads-ad200503" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.85 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="1823845571"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>It will not be a stretch to say that Jha is political. Besides stepping into the political world by fighting two Lok Sabha elections from Champaran, his films establish him as someone who attempts to address raging issues of our times. There’s Gangaajal (2002) which deals with crime and punishment, Aarakshan (2011) that talks about caste-based reservations, Satyagraha (2013) sheds light on corruption, and Rajneeti (2010) attempts to unravel the malicious workings within a political family.</p> <p>Continuing his streak of enriching cinema, Jha is now working on a series based on the life of former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao, adapted from Vinay Senapati’s book, Half Lion. “The period of economic reforms and privatisation has been a huge topic of interest for me; the man didn’t get his due. There’s another film Laal Batti based on Chanakya,” he says.<br />