Naach Ganesh


A folk dancer is caught between two worlds
by Bikas Mishra
Hindi
13 Min / India

IndianAward WinningExperimental

529

Naach Ganesh observes a normal-seeming man in his environment. When you first see the silent protagonist at work in his factory, his face is hidden. Then you see the long tiring journey he takes everyday to get home. His son is waiting for him to arrive, and then rushes to get him ready, dresses him in his real avatar.  And then his true identity emerges, as a regal, imposing Ganesh, dancing for a crowd with sun setting behind him.

Screen Shot 2016-01-26 at 4.04.55 PMThe film has no dialogues and it silence feels ambiguous. It could be about the plight of a folk dancer in a more modern, colder world, but letting the film reveal itself slowly to us it becomes a lot more meaningful. Ganesh is a mask this man wears just like the welders mask we first see him in. Both of them are identities that overlap in the outside world, but the part of him that is neither of these is what is causing the conflict within him. This is a simple but very rewarding film.

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