Dead Man walking?

Kaagaz (Paper, Hindi, 2021)
Directed by Satish Kaushik

We all have the frustrating experience of dealing with the 'system'. How can we forget how simple technicalities cannot be just changed because red tape prevents them? Everybody in the system can 'see' the problem, but nobody can do anything about it.

With the widespread use of AI and chatbots in daily dealing, the situation is becoming more chaotic. We, the end-users, are made to deal with idiots. No amount of 'I want to talk to your manager' will move the system. 

Lal Bihari of Uttar Pradesh had first-hand experience dealing with this madness. He had to prove to the Indian bureaucracy that he is alive. It all happened when Lal Bihari, a farmer in real life, was declared deceased by his relatives who swindled his share of the family inheritance. He spent a good portion of his life between 1975 and 1994 going up and down courts to prove his existence.

Lal Bihari Mrithak (deceased)

In the movie version, Lal Bihari becomes Bharatlal Bihari, a bandmaster, was coaxed by his wife and friend to expand his music business. For that, Bihari approached a bank for a loan that needed collateral. He remembered an old inheritance, a small piece of village land that he could use for that purpose. Unfortunately, when he enquires about getting the deed, he finds out that his relatives had declared him dead and had usurped the land.

In a comical way, the film portrays how Bihari becomes a pauper with mounting legal fees. His existence is questioned, his marriage is in shambles. His wife is supposed to be a widow, but how can she be dressed as a widow when her husband is beside her. Bihari tries to kidnap a kid to be arrested. He thought that by being arrested, the legal system would charge him. If he is charged, then he exists! That also does not work. Finally, he started an Association of Dead People, participated by hundreds of people around India who were in the same boat. 

Bihari finally proved his existence in 1994. He even tried to stand, unsuccessfully, against Rajeev Gandhi in 1985 to prove that he is alive. The height of his 'career' is when he was awarded the Ig Nobel Prize in 2003. The Ig Nobel Prize is a parody of its namesake for unusual achievements that "first make people laugh, and then make them think". His association has about 20,000 members now.

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