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

Kaagaz, the latest ZEE5 Original, is based on a true story. Directed by Satish Kaushik, the film is about a man from a small village, who fights a battle for 17 long years against bureaucracy, just to prove that he is alive. The film stars Pankaj Tripathi in the lead role as Bharat Lal, who is fighting the battle.

The plot of Kaagaz begins when Bharat Lal finds out that he has been declared dead on government records while he is still alive. A long legal battle ensues where he writes to the highest authorities he could think of.  While everyone makes promises of solving his problem, no one takes any serious steps. The film is set in 1977 but its reality is relevant to date.

If the fact that this happened for real was not horrifying enough, the film gives a lot more reality check. Kaagaz shows us the loopholes in the legal system and shows how just one corrupt officer can ruin a person’s life. In the life of Lal Bihari, on whose life Kaagaz is based, this corrupt officer was the lekhpal (government accountant). For a small amount of bribe from his uncle’s family, the lekhpal makes an official account that Lal Bihari is dead while he is still alive.

Kaagaz also shows us the importance of perseverance. Pankaj Tripathi’s character, Bharat Lal in Kaagaz, does not give up his battle despite facing situations like his financial struggle, getting left alone in the battle, or even getting beaten up. Bharat Lal shows us that he is a fighter and teaches us to not give up, no matter what. This is certainly something we can learn from a man who fought for 17 years and emerged victorious in the end.

Also read: Kaagaz: 5 Real-Life Stories Of A Common Man And His Fight Against The Corrupt System

The film also highlights a fact that we all might be unaware of. That whether it be 1977 or 2021, there are loopholes in the legal system that still do exist and so do the corrupt people. And with them, also exist, people like Bharat Lal (or Lal Bihari), who unknowingly become a victim of the system. They face a situation where they have to fight a battle that they had never even imagined. Like said earlier, during his battle, Bharat Lal found out that he was not alone who was declared dead on papers in an unlawful way. And his association fought such battles for a long time after he got his justice.

Due to such situations, the people of the country and of the world need to be made aware of the people who are victims of the systems. That is because such battles are still being fought. There are people who are still fighting for their identity, their place, and their rights, and their voices need to reach us. And that is the reason why films like Kaagaz become an important medium – for making their voices and their stories reach the audience to give them a dose of reality.

While cinema is a medium for entertainment, there should always be a film like Kaagaz among entertaining films that give us an idea of reality. Films that make us realize that there are battles that we do not know about or films that show us how to face anything that life and reality throw at us.

Watch this inspiring film, Kaagaz on ZEE5.

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