Hear O, Mahatma - Some initial reactions.

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'Hear O, Mahatma' Poster (Can be used on an as it basis under CC)


Naveen Sunag, Filmmaker, UK (26-09-2024)

It is a film one should not miss watching. The content is remarkable, weaving a powerful narrative that resonates deeply. Thoughtfully composed shots and a complementary sound design make it stand out. I found myself captivated by the beauty and depth of the storytelling.

Shrikanth Prabhu Filmmaker Bengaluru, Karnataka (26-09-2024)

The A I tools you have chosen are perfect and appropriate for our times. The crumbling bent, distorted lines, especially the verticals are true mirroring of the decay and rot that has set in the society. At times the graphics in the background came close to reminding us of the Swastika !! No other country/society can understand this filth you have stirred to touch our conscience. You have used a surgical blade to highlight the plight of the humans crushed in the crossfire of caste, class and the dirty acts of the rogues calling themselves politicians.

The narrative is brilliant. Keeping yourself in the center you have done an amazing work. The artificial voiceover matches the grotesqueness that India has become. As the narrative progressed and the enormity of the subject you have chosen to analyse, dawned upon me, I was completely floored.


Saumesh Bangera, Filmmaker and Graphic Artist Mangalore, Karnataka (03-10-2024)

I don't think there is any match to your innovativeness in filmmaking and the audacity of your expression, at least from whatever other films I have been exposed to. I am still processing Hear O, Mahatma. Might not be fully able to articulate what I am feeling now.

Dr Poornanada DS, Rtd HOD & Professor, Kuvempu University, Karnataka (22-10-2024)

The film is a fine blend of fiction and documentation. Crooked objects and distorted images throughout the film reminded me of German expressionist films, especially Robert Weine's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. There is a distortion of everything that constitutes a democratic society. That the distortion becomes more pronounced as the attacks on institutions get more brutal is well-presented in the third part of the film. The images of atrocities against Dalits are deeply disturbing.

I think the film expresses the anguish of the people who yearn for a plural and democratic India. The mainstream cinema rarely deals with the issues of caste discrimination. I commend you for bringing the thoughts of Ambedkar on caste as expressed in his 'Annihilation of Caste'. You have vividly presented the core of his arguments and also the reality of how caste discrimination continues. The images you have used in the beginning set the mood for the film and the placement of film clips beginning from the Lumiere brothers creates the world the filmmaker lives in.

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