Kaagaz: 6 Interactions Of Pankaj Tripathi With The ‘Sarkari Officials’ In The Film Are Super Relatable

Kaagaz on ZEE5 is a film based on the true story of a man who fought a long battle against the system to prove that he is alive. Pankaj Tripathi in Kaagaz plays the role of Bharat Lal, the man who has been declared dead on paper, despite being alive. To prove his existence, he goes to a lot of government officials for help. Some of his interactions with the officials, whether hilarious or serious, in a way, seem relatable to the audiences. Have a look at some of those.

His Interaction With The Lekhpal (childhood friend)

When Bharat Lal goes to the government accountant to collect the papers of his land, he sees him and recognizes him as his classmate from their school days. He gets into the old talks, and in the moment he forgets that he is sitting in front of a government official. Following that, he starts talking about how the Lekhpal, Bhure Singh, used to get punished in his school days. This would be relatable to a lot of people, since, like Bharat Lal, a lot of people seem to forget where they are when they see their childhood friend somewhere.

Interaction With The Sarpanch

Bharat Lal approaches the Sarpanch of his village to get help regarding his situation. Earlier the sarpanch promises to help him. When Bharat Lal later goes to him, the sarpanch conveys to him that the promise meant nothing and that he can not help Bharat. Here, Bharat Lal’s situation is relatable to all those who have been promised help by someone but never get one!

Interaction With The Judge

When Bharat Lal goes to the court to demand that the election he was in be deemed invalid, the judge says that it is impossible. The judge tells Bharat Lal that he is wasting the court’s time with this argument. To this, Bharat Lal loses it and says, “Court ka toh samay barbaad ho raha hai, hamaari zindagi barbaad ho rahi hai uska kya?” His frustration behind these lines is not some alien feeling to the people.

Also read: Kaagaz: Why Films like Kaagaz Are An Important Medium For Sharing A Dose Of Reality With Today’s Audience

Interaction During The Widows’ Pension Collection

Bharat Lal’s lawyer advises him to get the widows’ pension scheme of the government for his wife since he is declared dead on legal papers. When he, with his wife, approaches the officer in charge of the pension scheme, the officer insults the couple. Bharat Lal, due to his constant similar experiences for years, listens to the officer’s insults without batting an eye. Bharat Lal’s situation here seems relatable to when someone has gone through similar pain multiple times and does not get affected after a point.

Interaction With The Cop

When Bharat Lal has to go to the police station to get himself arrested, his wife prays for him and hopes that Bharat Lal gets arrested. On reaching the police station, the cop does not agree to arrest Bharat Lal. He then begs him a lot but the cop refutes every time. Bharat Lal then says, “Patni pooja karke bheji hai, kar lijiye na giraftaar.” Just like Bharat Lal, we too think about how our family’s prayers must never go in vain.

Interaction With MLA Asharfi Devi

Bharat Lal, on losing hope from the cops, goes to the MLA, Asharfi Devi. On hearing his situation, she says something that applies to almost the whole world. About the functioning of the system, she says, “Galti sudhaarne ka matlab hai, galti sweekarna. Hamaare system ka masla galti sudhaarna nahi, sweekarna hai.” (Correcting a mistake, means accepting the mistake. The system’s issue is not with correcting, it is with accepting that they made a mistake.)

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