Chachan, A Day

In small-town Pala, a ninety-year-old farmer goes about his retired life. Located in the southern state of Kerala in India along the western ghats, Pala is known for an economy based on the cash crop of rubber, strong presence of the Catholic Church, and for electing the same legislator for a record fifty-four years straight.

Though ageing limbs and failing eyesight have slowed him down, Chachan’s (grandpa) days are full, as he tends to the household farm and cows, makes visit to the church, and follows daily news and soaps on TV. In conversations with his grandson, a film student who’s visiting from Kolkata, Chachan reflects on his long farming life, how the fortunes of men and the rubber crop are intertwined, the oft-repeated patterns in local and national politics, and the essential nature of human beings.

In depicting a typical day in Chachan’s life, the director experiments with a non-linear, observational style, drawing inspiration from the works of Jonas Mekas.