Dark comedy on students' suicide
Ruchira Talapatra, New Delhi, June 03, 2016, DHNS:
The theme of students’ suicide is the selling point of Abhay Kumar's documentary Placebo. An evergreen story in journalism could be lent such a new look and perspective is hard to believe. Saying the film is about ‘students’ suicide' also somewhere reduces its cinematic value. If documentaries could be called a dark comedy, it would fit the genre best. Indian audience is not adept with documentaries as much and different genres are not explored by Indian doumentary filmmakers. Kumar terms his film as hybrid, the term is a sub genre of docufiction.
But Kumar’s film is personal as well, he is seen in the documentary which makes the film a slice of his life. It is indeed the narrative which is non-linear, the structure, the creative endeavour of adding animation intelligently and the honesty with which it is filmed that adds to the thrill.
The film weaves itself in such a way that we are engrossed in the ‘hostel life in All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)’.Though we know none, the three main characters Sahil, Kumar’s brother, K (name undisclosed) and Chopra (first name undisclosed) come close to us with their idiosyncrasies. K is a philosophical character, he randomly quotes Arthur Schopenhauer, smokes weed with his friend Chopra, listens to hard rock. Chopra who looks more sincere is as childish as a 23 year old can be. Sahil on the other hand, is a happy character who falls into darkness. Even if his character is not dark per say, his right arm becoming dysfunctional makes him tragic. The characters carry the film on their shoulders, if they hadn't uttered exactly what they did, the film could become
another ‘expose’ on ‘students’ suicides’.
The characters will make the audience laugh their hearts out at ‘AIIMS humour’ and make one question how as a society we collectively believe them to be smart. Also, remind us that they are as innocent as any student of that age (23 to 25) can be. If subjected to unnerving isolation at this age, they can succumb to their darkest fears. From his philosophical discussions with them, ‘urban isolation’ is the new logic which Kumar proposes along with caste, class, competition and institutional murder which are not explored as cause of student deaths.
Kumar portrays the candid side of the students but also projects the loneliness which hovers over their heads like a ghost with a motive to kill. The placebo effect is explained by the institution’s normal administrative rules which make students each others’ competitors, leading to isolation, hence depression and suicide.
While watching the film it is important to stick to the three characters only, there is no authenticity in the documentary which will point at any straight facts about students’ deaths in AIIMS. It could be the story of any institute of this stature.
Kumar made the film entirely by fate when he went to AIIMS after Sahil broke his right arm by smashing a window impulsively during the AIIMS annual festival Pulse and Kumar had to be there to attend to him. He planned it to be a six-month journey and it turned out to be four years. The film starts with one person’s blood being shed and ends in remorse over many other remorseless blood of students' that are shed every year. And as Kumar says in his film, the saga was there even before he came and will continue even after he leaves. We also leave the hall feeling helpless about the issue. In the film Kumar’s voice over says ‘I need to have time and pattern’ to establish what's going on in the most acclaimed institution in India. It's evident in the film, that he has shot over a long period of time aimlessly and its merely weaving that he has done at the end to reach the point.
Shot with a handicam, the film has some good amount of scandalous scenes like the
AIIMS director's smile when the student's are enraged and crying on the death of Anil Meena who commits suicide in his room in 2012. He also shows the students' protest
dying out rather quickly in four days and normalcy seeping in. According to Kumar,
AIIMS authorities have no idea this film even exists. He plans to have nation-wide campus screening for Placebo.
But Kumar’s film is personal as well, he is seen in the documentary which makes the film a slice of his life. It is indeed the narrative which is non-linear, the structure, the creative endeavour of adding animation intelligently and the honesty with which it is filmed that adds to the thrill.
The film weaves itself in such a way that we are engrossed in the ‘hostel life in All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)’.Though we know none, the three main characters Sahil, Kumar’s brother, K (name undisclosed) and Chopra (first name undisclosed) come close to us with their idiosyncrasies. K is a philosophical character, he randomly quotes Arthur Schopenhauer, smokes weed with his friend Chopra, listens to hard rock. Chopra who looks more sincere is as childish as a 23 year old can be. Sahil on the other hand, is a happy character who falls into darkness. Even if his character is not dark per say, his right arm becoming dysfunctional makes him tragic. The characters carry the film on their shoulders, if they hadn't uttered exactly what they did, the film could become
another ‘expose’ on ‘students’ suicides’.
The characters will make the audience laugh their hearts out at ‘AIIMS humour’ and make one question how as a society we collectively believe them to be smart. Also, remind us that they are as innocent as any student of that age (23 to 25) can be. If subjected to unnerving isolation at this age, they can succumb to their darkest fears. From his philosophical discussions with them, ‘urban isolation’ is the new logic which Kumar proposes along with caste, class, competition and institutional murder which are not explored as cause of student deaths.
Kumar portrays the candid side of the students but also projects the loneliness which hovers over their heads like a ghost with a motive to kill. The placebo effect is explained by the institution’s normal administrative rules which make students each others’ competitors, leading to isolation, hence depression and suicide.
While watching the film it is important to stick to the three characters only, there is no authenticity in the documentary which will point at any straight facts about students’ deaths in AIIMS. It could be the story of any institute of this stature.
Kumar made the film entirely by fate when he went to AIIMS after Sahil broke his right arm by smashing a window impulsively during the AIIMS annual festival Pulse and Kumar had to be there to attend to him. He planned it to be a six-month journey and it turned out to be four years. The film starts with one person’s blood being shed and ends in remorse over many other remorseless blood of students' that are shed every year. And as Kumar says in his film, the saga was there even before he came and will continue even after he leaves. We also leave the hall feeling helpless about the issue. In the film Kumar’s voice over says ‘I need to have time and pattern’ to establish what's going on in the most acclaimed institution in India. It's evident in the film, that he has shot over a long period of time aimlessly and its merely weaving that he has done at the end to reach the point.
Shot with a handicam, the film has some good amount of scandalous scenes like the
AIIMS director's smile when the student's are enraged and crying on the death of Anil Meena who commits suicide in his room in 2012. He also shows the students' protest
dying out rather quickly in four days and normalcy seeping in. According to Kumar,
AIIMS authorities have no idea this film even exists. He plans to have nation-wide campus screening for Placebo.
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