Independent filmmaker
Raj Amit Kumar, who is known for his critically acclaimed film ‘Unfreedom’, is now working on an immigrant story with his new film ‘Brown’. He
has also  join hands with acclaimed filmmaker Sudhir Mishra as executive producer for
the film. 

Being an immigrant
himself in the US where he lived for 18 years, the filmmaker says that he does
have the first-hand experience of how it feels to be one. He also says that in
the current political climate where immigrants are seen as threats and being
stereotyped to be feared as criminals, rapists, and child molesters, it
was important to take on the challenge of a more human depiction of the
experience of a contemporary immigrant with ‘Brown’.

He also talks about
why people criticize more nowadays, how any Indian government uses
Censorship laws for the kind of speech they want to allow or they do not want
to allow and how fear is being mobilized politically to garner votes.

Excerpts of the
interview with the filmmaker

Opoyi: Share the idea
behind brown and your association with Sudhir Mishra

Ans: BROWN is the
story of an immigrant being chased by Border Police, who tries to protect a
young white orphan child and struggles to build a new life in America. In a
world where we are constantly building walls against outsiders by stereotyping
and seeing them as less human, the idea behind BROWN is to address the
stereotypes we have about Immigrants by giving a personal perspective on what
it means to be displaced and not having a home.

Association with
Sudhir developed simply from a place of mutual respect for each other’s work.
He read my first film UNFREEDOM’s script, gave me feedback, watched the first
cut of it, and so on. Similarly, for BROWN I showed him the rough edit and he
liked it. I asked him if he would like to come on board as an Executive
Producer so that the film gets more visibility. And he agreed. Sudhir is a
mentor, he likes to give back what he says many times he received from those
who mentored him. I wish there were more souls like him in the industry who
extend support to independent filmmakers.

Opoyi: You’re focusing
on a very crucial subject with the film. Why is the immigrant story so close to
you?

Ans: In the current
political climate where immigrants are seen as threats, and being stereotyped
to be feared as criminals, rapists, child molesters etcetera, it is important
to take on the challenge of a more human depiction of the experience of a
contemporary immigrant. Fear is being mobilized politically to garner votes. An
assumption has been made that votes can be collected by instilling fear against
immigrants and with the promises of “building walls” against them. For me,
BROWN is an extension of my goals as a filmmaker. It is a story relevant to
today’s issues of immigration, drug epidemics, and minorities trying to make an
honest living. BROWN is a thought-provoking social criticism meant to make us
think about what and why we believe what we believe about the world around us.

I have lived in the
USA for 18 years. So I do have some first hand experience of being an immigrant.

Opoyi: Are things
better now for filmmakers like you with the boom in OTT because there is no
concept of censorship there?

Ans: Who says there is
no concept of Censorship there? We are already in times where the largest of
companies are bowing down to the government regulations rather than fighting it
because of the profit principle. It is a shame that OTT platforms today don’t
have the backbone to stand up to the government and say that we will not accept
censorship.

Opoyi: Why do you
think your last film ‘Unfreedom’ is banned in India? 

Ans: The written
reasoning provided was both, that is, the film will ignite “unnatural passions”
and cause “communal violence”. Our governments, like the British government,
continue to follow the mindset that they are the moral guardians of Indian
society. Any Indian government uses Censorship laws for the kind of speech they
want to allow or they do not want to allow.

Opoyi: Why is ‘Brown’
important in today’s time? 

Ans: Every household
should watch it because BROWN is not just an immigrant’s story but it shines a
light on universal themes of abandonment, betrayal, trust, and the meaning of
home.

Opoyi: Do you think
creative liberty of filmmakers are questioned now more than ever? 

Ans: kuch to log
kahenge, logon ka kaam hai kahna. Criticism is more of a fashion today. We do
less and criticise more. That’s also the time we are living in.

Opoyi: Do you worry
about your own safety especially when there is no support from the government
for films with bold storylines?

Ans: I feel there are
many many identities, communities that do not feel safe today. Forget support,
there is a threat that looms large for those who express freely. We get
offended by jokes and make FIRs to put comedians in jail. We are living in
weird times.

Opoyi: How things have
changed when it comes to the consumption of entertainment in India? Do you
think audiences have matured now?

Ans: We are
watching and making “content” now and not cinema. Lots and Lots and Lots of
content. And, I have no idea which barometer to use to gauge the “maturity” of
the audience. The audience is a large category with all kinds of people. At any
given time there are always all kinds of audiences. However, I do not think we
are in times where UNFREEDOM would have not been banned today. Actually, it’s
quite the opposite. We are in times of banning everything that is slightly not
in line with the powers at work.

Opoyi: What are the
plans for Brown in terms of release?

Ans: For BROWN, after
having shot the film, we are running a Kickstarter campaign right now for
completion funds. And we are halfway there. Independent cinema will only exist
in the future if there would be a more direct contract between the filmmakers and
their audience. So we are hoping an audience will come through for the success
of the campaign. Once we finish the film, we intend to take it to film
festivals.