An Insignificant Man

Like so many other Indian citizens, Arvind Kejriwal was fed up with corruption and abuse of power. In his opinion, managing the country's affairs should be left to people like himself, rather than to incompetent politicians. Backed by a group of like-minded people, the former tax inspector founded The Common Man's Party to fight for the everyman's interests. Pretty naive, many would say, in a country that since its independence in 1947 has been run by consecutive family dynasties.

However, a few years later the party surprised the country's political elites by winning 67 out of 70 seats in the local parliamentary elections in New Dehli – India's capital and a city of more than 21 million inhabitants. Arvind Kejriwal mounts severe criticism against the corrupt Indian elite, and does not shy away from setting highly ambitious political goals, such as promising more power to the people and decreased living costs. Director Khushboo Ranka and Vinay Shukla follows the ups and downs of Kejriwal's tireless effort to challenge power structures and building a genuine grassroot party in the world's most populous democracy. Per Eirik Gilsvik

THE CRITICAL ROOM: POPULISM AND POLITICS IN INDIA

We invite researcher Kenneth Bo Nielsen (UiO) and Rina Sunder, columnist and former leader of Norway India Chamber of Commerce and Industry. After the film they will discuss if the common man really can succeed in influencing the country's political system?
The conversation is moderated by Elisabeth Eide from Norwegian PEN.

The event is a collaboration between Films From the South and Norwegian PEN.

Khushboo Ranka is a writer, journalist and documentary filmmaker, educated from Goldsmith’s College in London. She has directed the short films Continuum (2007) and Right to Pray (2016). Vinay Shukla is a filmmaker and actor. He has directed the short film Bureaucracy Sonata (2012).