Indigenous manufacturing
Film Indigenous manufacturing
Documentary Hillol Sarkar
After Katiyabaaz last year comes another documentary out of Uttar Pradesh’s various cities-in-flux. Directed by Atul Sabharwal, In Their Shoes takes a close hard look at Agra’s legacy, here bigger than the Taj Mahal: its centuries old shoemaking industry. While the subject matter may sound dour to the unsuspecting viewer, it is brought to life by sensitive treatment and an interesting placement of the city within larger world affairs. The 90minute documentary charts the crests and troughs of Agra’s shoe trade from Mughal times to present day. The first segment shows the shop of Sabharwal’s father. We are then introduced to the other players in the local industry and how the synthetic foam leather from China completely changed the tide. The film also looks at current government policies on the leather shoe industry, replete with the woes of traders and buyers, exporters and artisans alike. Through these voices the film tries to make sense of the tale of this industry and the men who built it — and how it was affected by global events such as Partition, the rise of the Soviet Union, the Solidarity Movement of Poland, the collapse of the Berlin Wall and India’s economic liberalization. … more www.facebook.com/bwcine
Reference: An Uncertain Glory: India and its Contradictions. By Jean Dreze and Amartya Sen