indian cinema heritage foundation

Fandry (2013)

  • Release Date17/10/2013
  • GenreSocial
  • FormatColour
  • LanguageMarathi
  • GaugeDigital
  • Censor RatingU
  • Censor Certificate NumberCIL/1/90/2013 - Mumbai
  • Certificate Date30/08/2013
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Fandry is the love story of a thirteen-year-old boy set against the backdrop of caste discrimination. Jambhuvant Kachru Mane, popularly called Jabya is an adolescent who lives with his parents and two sisters (one widowed with a toddler) in a makeshift house on the outskirts of a caste segregated village. The family belongs to the Kaikadi community which has been so dehumanized and exploited that it earns its living by doing the most menial jobs. Of them, Jabya’s father is put upon daily by those belonging to the upper caste, who demand that he clean their gutters, or catch the pigs terrorizing the village.

Disillusioned by the predicament of his family Jabya begins to show interest in school. He is deeply infatuated with an upper caste classmate named Shalini,  nicknamed Shalu, whom he has never spoken with but desperately wishes to.

Jabya’s closest friend is Pirya and together the two friends spend all their time outside school roaming the wilderness in search of the bird with a forked tail, the Black Sparrow. According to a local legend, the ash from the cremation of the black sparrow works as an enchantment of love. Though it is never revealed who has shared the story with Jabya, it is heavily hinted that he has learnt of the legend from his older friend Chankya, who is a bicycle mechanic.

Chankya had once gotten married to an upper caste girl who was forcefully taken away by her brother leaving him badly thrashed. Since then he has renounced society and taken up refuge in spirituality, mysticism and liquor. Jabya seeks Chankya’s support in his quest to win over his lady love, which Chankya readily extends because he empathizes with Jabya.

Towards the end, not having won the girl’s love, Jabya finally understands the true nature of the society he lives in. He realizes that while the others of his community have accepted this exploitation and humiliation he cannot. He realizes that his community has allowed the other castes to exploit them. His anger explodes and he begins to throw stones at his oppressors casting one last stone at the camera which mutely witnesses his exploitation.

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