Screening the Anthropocene in India: Climate, Forest and Indigenous Ecologies

Abstract

Anthropocene, an epoch marked by considerable human intervention in the earth’s geology and ecology, is seen in India as a result of a multifaceted relationship between post-colonial development and ecological catastrophe. Through this article, the author attempts to unfurl a literary tapestry, to delve into the realms of Rishab Shetty’s Kantara: A Legend and Nila Madhab Panda’s Kadvi Hawa as two separate but overlapping ecological films that map out the cartographies of environmental disaster in India and highlight the commonality between loss and resistance. Employing the concept of "slow violence" introduced by Rob Nixon and the concept of the Capitalocene, this article attempts to analyze the films in the context of environmental injustice discourse. While Kadvi Hawa is the depiction of slow violence as the effect of climate change, which is felt by desert ecosystems, poor populations, and postponed futures, Kantara: A Legend is a manifestation of immediate opposition to slow violence as the myths and ecologies of the indigenous population rebel against the aggressive power of capital and the state. Through a shared ecological lens, the two films can be seen as representing the spectrum of ecological experiences, encouraging us to understand that the subtle pain endured by marginalized groups and the bold declaration of their rightful place belong to the same narrative of the Capitalocene.