International Film Festival Of Kerala: Dr. Bedabrata Pain Talks About His Documentary ‘Déjà vu’

Senior scientist NASA, decided to give up that after being inducted into the Hall of Fame of NASA and 87 patents. Made a Indian National Award winning film, Chittagong, that created waves globally with a few global film fest awards in the kitty as well. Then? Well, then Dr. Bedabrata Pain decided to scan 10,000 kilometer of US to document the plight of American farmers, comparing them to the condition of Indian farmers and presenting it to the world. Today, this sensitive documentary, Déjà vu, is being screened at the International Film Festival of Kerala.

For Dr. Pain, the idea of doing this documentary and this 10,000 kilometer journey through the farmlands of America came quite organically. “Once the farm laws and the ensuing farm protests came about, and there was a lot of confusion. We didn't know what the promise was or how the promise would be fulfilled, or whether it would be fulfilled. Farmers were taking a very strong stance, and we didn't know whether that they’re just being foolhardy or stubborn or they were right,” Dr. Pain tells. “I started reading about what's behind all of this like I always do about something that intrigues me. Did some research. And I came across articles talking about American agriculture, American farming, and the first thing that caught my mind was a farmer suicide in America! Now that was news, to me at least. That, in the land of milk and honey, where there's so much wealth, which is supposedly the biggest consumer economy, farmers are committing suicide out of distress. And later on, I found that the farmer suicide rate in US is four times the national average suicide rate!” he elucidates.

This was enough for the human being and the perennial solution seeker in Dr. Pain to set ia plan n motion. He soon found a team of fellow Indian born Americans who were willing to do this ten-thousand-kilometer journey with him to document the truth about American farmers, which was very close to what was happening back home. Rachit Tarafdar and Srishti Aggarwal, the two students who now are doctorate in Physics, jumped in to help almost immediately. “They contacted the farmers, farm organizations and very quickly we realized that there was a story that needs to be told. As we took this journey through the American farmland, slowly we began to realize what is at stake.”

Dr. Pain and his team found out that the devastation of farming in America is caused by corporate monopoly takeover of the farming operations from ‘pitch to fork’, as its called. That has decimated the farmers. “The entire power, entire production and the entire marketing distribution has all gone in the hands of big guys and corporates. And that's exactly what they're trying to do in India in the name of modernization and efficiency, and so it it's so important, I think, to see which way industrial agriculture in America, which also came in in the beginning with lots of hope of prosperity and opportunity, has gone. The bulk of the American farmers, even today, have no power in their hands, and they don't have income in their hands.

The journey was tedious, especially as it started just about end of or midst of the pandemic. But Dr. Pain was convinced about the cause, the reason and the motto and so was his team. Déjà vu has been entirely funded by Dr. Pain. “To explain, to understand what their experience has been, how it came with all kinds of illusion, and how the end product where neither the farmers nor the consumers benefited. That was our motto. People needed to know what the experience of this kind of industrial agriculture, corporate driven agriculture, monopolization of agriculture brings,” Dr. Pain reasserts. “And to see it being repeated in India was a déjà vu feeling, therefore the documentary is called Déjà vu!”

How has the Indian audience reacted to this documentary? “So, there has been few private screenings, invited screenings and so far the experience and the reaction has been amazing. In every single screening, I mean, I wish I had some of the videos to show here of their reactions. The first thing that they everybody said that, ‘uh, we didn't know this!’ They were as shocked as my team and me were when we uncovered the truth.”

This documentary comes after a hiatus of more than 12 years after your award-winning film Chittagong. What have you been busy with? “Varied things and most important being this documentary for last five years,” says Dr. Pain.

Have you given up research and science totally? “No, I have not. In fact, this movie can be called a part of scientific research. When you see the movie, you will see the level of actual research that has gone in. So, this is a scientific work as well. But I still do a whole bunch of consulting for Red Camera, and I've always remained interested in philosophy and quantum physics. Science used to be earlier known as natural philosophy. Science is a term that came into use more in the 19th century. So yeah,my work in terms of science technology carries hand in hand with work of art.”

What excites you more... science or films? “Good question,” responds Dr. Pain with a thoughtful expression. “Very good question. I think, I would say only one thing... that... science is usually boiled down to analytical mind. It's not that. It's a creative mind, it's a leap of faith, leap of conviction that one takes. I mean you take this movie, you know this movie... nobody would make this movie unless one is convinced that this is a story that needs to be told, and that's where you jump for it. And that's what the beauty is. That's, where you find the excitement, the satisfaction of having done something meaningful. You know, meaning in life is extremely important, and that's what science also gives you when once you want, you understand, why something happens in a particular way.”

Busy with a tight schedule that includes screening at festivals, private screenings, research work, and three new films in pipeline, Dr. Pain signs off saying, “So, I think I find joy and excitement and meaning in both these endeavors — science and films.”