Review: An Insignificant Man

Suhail Ahmad
An insignificant Man – It’s not just a documentary film but has an intensity of a blockbuster film, so inspiring that I watched it four times.
A few takeaways from the film made by Khushboo Ranka and Vinay Shukla: Sheila Dixit comes across as egotistical person, Yogendra Yadav’s actions are that of a wise man and whether or not Arvind Kejriwal is an insignificant man, one has to watch the film.
Directors Khushboo and Vinay filmed ‘An Insignificant Man’ for more than a year, shot 400 hours of footage & edited to interlace a 98 minute narrative in the form of a feature film chronicling the journey of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) from its inception to forming a government after finishing second in 2013 Delhi Assembly Elections. The film also throws light at swindle in political establishment, the principles of decentralization & participative democracy and the materialization of Jan Lok Pal bill. While Kejriwal remains a captivating figure in the movie, it’s Yogendra Yadav, a polished speaker, who emerges as the real hero in the film. Yadav, as shown in the film is the real kingmaker and the brain power behind the entire party campaign. We don’t see much of some of the key members of AAP like Manish Sisodia, Prashant Bhushan and Kumar Vishwas in the film. As the film progresses, the directors subtly put across the tensions erupting between Kejriwal & Yadav.
The film has both light-hearted and heartbreaking scenes. Watch for a scene where Arvind Kejriwal and Kumar Vishwas along with other party members burst into laughter during the making of an election campaign video, or the one where Kejriwal’s mother casually inquires when he will return home. The most heartbreaking scene is Arvind Kejriwal breaking down in front of the people after a party member very close to him is fatally injured in an accident.
The film is shot skillfully with hand held cameras that makes it cinematically engaging. One such sequence is the election rally of Arvind kejriwal and Sheila Dixit passing each other on either side of the road. The hauntingly beautiful background score by Ola Flottum plays an important role in the transition of the film. The access filmmakers had to the day to day happenings of a political party and larger electoral process is unprecedented. The camera is a fly on the wall at campaign stops, party meetings and election rallies.
It doesn’t matter what one’s political ideology is, or how much one is aware of the political environment in India. An Insignificant Man is a fascinating film and deserves to be watched by everyone.