Somnath Waghmare

Somnath Waghmare is an Indian documentary filmmaker based in the state of Maharashtra.[1] His most prominent and most recent film, Battle of Bhima Koregaon,[2] was critically received and screened in India and abroad.[3][4][5] Till now, all his films have been documentary films and they have dealt with various social issues like the persecution of women and Dalit assertion in Maharashtra.[6] He made his directorial debut with the short documentary feature I Am Not a Witch (2017).[7] His upcoming films are Chaityabhoomi (which is the resting place of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar and is a symbol and place of celebration of Buddhist identity) and Gail and Bharat.

Somnath Waghmare in 2018

The Battle of Bhima Koregaon: An Unending Journey (2017)

Early life and education

Somnath was born in Dalit - Neo Buddhist labourers family at Malewadi, a small village in Sangli district in Maharashtra. He completed his graduation in sociology from Karmveer Bhaurao Patil college in the town of Islampur and joined Savitribai Phule Pune University in Pune for his post-graduate studies in Media and Communication Studies. After completing his post-graduate studies, Somnath worked for two years as a contract employee at the Film and Television Institute of India before joining the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai for his M.Phil degree and then later Ph.D. in Social Sciences.

Work

Somnath has strong interests in the caste and cultural politics of Maharashtra. Both of his documentaries are focused on documentation and depiction of the political and social assertion by Dalits. He is also active in the anti-caste Phule-Ambedkarite movement of the state and has given several talks on caste in cinema, including at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute in Kolkata. Waghmare's debut film I Am Not A Witch was a short documentary feature based on the persecution of marginalized women in Maharashtra. His second and most famous film Battle of Bhima Koregaon received was widely acclaimed. The film was screened at multiple locations in India and also in New York at the Dalit Film and Cultural Festival at Columbia University, New York, alongside the works of filmmakers such as Pa. Ranjith and Nagraj Manjule.[8][3][9]

The Battle of Bhima Koregaon: An Unending Journey records how the memorial is a source of encouragement to those who are marginalized and discriminated against, especially today when caste-based atrocities are on the rise.

Dipti Nagpaul, Indian Express.

Waghmare is currently working on his third documentary film, Gail and Bharat, about Gail Omvedt and Bharat Patankar, two of the most distinguished activists and researchers of Dalit-Bahujan movements in the country.[10] In 2020, Waghmare and Smita Rajmane received a grant Foundation for Indian Contemporary Art for their project ‘The Ambedkar Age Digital Bookmobile’.[11]

Filmography

As director

Year	Film
2016	I Am Not A Witch
2017	The Battle of Bhima Koregaon: An Unending Journey
2020	Rajgruha Stands Tall
2021	Gail and Bharat

Memories of Mangaon 2022

There is no Caste Discrimination in IIT's? 2023

Chaityabhumi October 2023

External links

• Battle of Bhima Koregaon on YouTube
• Gail and Bharat on YouTube

References

1. Vinutha Mallya (24 December 2017). "Songs of revolution". Pune Mirror. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
2. "A Docu Journey Into the History and Significance of Bhima Koregaon". BloombergQuint. 4 January 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
3. Rahi Gaikwad (30 January 2019). "TISS student's docufilm heads for the Big Apple". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
4. "Somnath Waghmare's documentary explains why the Battle of Bhima Koregaon is important to Dalits". The Indian Express. 4 January 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
5. "Docu-film on intriguing 1818 battle premieres in Bengaluru". Deccan Herald. 14 April 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
6. "somnath waghmare Archives · Dalit Camera". Dalit Camera. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
7. "I Am Not A Witch – Documentary Film by Somnath Waghmare". Velivada. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
8. Murali, Aarthi (31 January 2019). "'Kaala' & 'Pariyerum Perumal' To Be Screened At Dalit Film And Cultural Festival In New York". Silverscreen.in. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
9. Shinde, Ravikiran (27 February 2019). "'Dalit Film Festival is not just a festival, it's a movement'". Newslaundry. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
10. "Director Somnath to crowdfund film on anti-caste activist couple, Gail and Bharat". The News Minute. 18 June 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
11. "PAG 2019 |". The Foundation for Indian Contemporary Art. Retrieved 13 October 2020.