A lonely footballer breathes life into clay

Economic Times

31-05-2025

News of cross-cultural exchanges and transnational cooperation in the arts have become oxygen for my determined optimism in an increasingly divided world. The Oscars earlier this year delivered tankfuls of hope with the Iranian auteur-in-exile Mohammad Rasoulof's Farsi film, The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Daane-ye anjeer-e ma'abed), in the fray as Germany's entry in the Best International Feature race, while Britain entered a Hindi language production - British Indian director Sandhya Suri's Santosh - in that category. Both were premiered last summer at the Cannes Film Festival, an event that routinely throws up instances of blurring borders.
One such heartening collaboration at the just-concluded Cannes 2025 bears a stamp of India. A Doll Made Up of Clay - part of the official selection for the students' competition at the fest - is written and directed by Kokob Gebrehaweria Tesfay, an Ethiopian student of Kolkata's Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), and recipient of the ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) African Scholarship.
Produced by a fellow student, Sahil Manoj Ingle, this 23-min short features a multiracial, multinational team, including a Bangladeshi editor, Mahmud Abu Naser. It blends Yoruba and Bengali dialogues, and is about a Nigerian footballer in Kolkata, played by Ibrahim Ahmed -- a Nigerian footballer in Kolkata. It is, as Kokob told me in an interview on the eve of his Cannes premiere, 'a collective effort' and a truly international creation. In the film, Ibrahim plays Oluwaseyi, a youngster stranded in India after an injury stalled his dream of building a career in football. Battling loneliness, depression, financial deprivation and racism, Oluwaseyi finds solace in the arms of a woman (played by Geeta Doshi), who is haunted by her past. Kokob, grandson of a priest from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, brings his awareness of Christian imagery and African folklore to the film, in addition to his observations of Hindu iconography. Oluwaseyi is Christian. A painting of Jesus' mother, Mary, is given prominence, while the rosary is a constant presence. In his desperation to repair mind and body, Oluwaseyi turns to a healing tradition from his homeland, amalgamating it with a belief articulated by an elderly local who sculpts Durga idols - the common factor in both is faith in the power and divinity of clay. Indian filmmakers have often been guilty of stereotyping and exoticising people of Africa, on rare occasions when they have been represented on screen here. Sudani from Nigeria, a 2018 Malayalam hit directed by Zakariya Mohammed, is an uncommon example of Indian cinema featuring an important African character portrayed with empathy. That film was charming, but it steered clear of the racism prevalent in India. In A Doll Made Up of Clay, Kokob boldly addresses this truth despite his fondness for Kolkata, which he now calls 'my second home', and India, which he describes as 'the home of cinema'. He is conscious of the difference between his own experience of the country, as a light-complexioned African, in contrast with Ibrahim, whose black skin and Muslim name have made him the target of prejudice. His film, Kokob said, 'is 80% Ibrahim's story, and 20% fiction'. The overlap between the pain of an actual person and a scripted version of him is mirrored by cinematographer Vinod Kumar's frames capturing a desolate, muddied Kolkata, and the poignance conveyed by sound designer Soham Pal, along with music composer Himangshu Saikia. The film urges us to introspect, even while being a cause for celebration since it showcases SRFTI's - and India's - laudable effort to nurture and partner with global talent. 'At this time full of conflict,' Kokob told me, 'it's an awesome feeling that as people from four different countries, we have come together for art. The world is going through a hard time, but we have become one for cinema.' (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.economictimes.com.) Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. What's slowing Indian IT's AI deals? The answer is hidden in just two words.
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