Unearthed: The documentary on the Dalit movement made by a French filmmaker in 1985

British director Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi (1982) was back in the news during the Lok Sabha elections, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed that “nobody knew” of Mahatma Gandhi outside India until the film’s release. At least in one respect, Attenborough’s Oscar-decorated movie failed: its narrative erased an important historical figure and Gandhi’s arch-rival – Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, the Dalit giant and architect of the Indian Constitution.

Only a few filmmakers have recorded the Ambedkarite movement. Apart from biopics about Babasaheb, there are documentaries such as Stalin K’s India Untouched (2007) and Anand Patwardhan’s Jai Bhim Comrade (2011). But these films were made only recently. The credit for documenting the movement goes to French filmmaker Arnaud Mandagarn. In 1985, Mandagarn made Untouchable, possibly the first documentary on Ambedkar and Dalit issues.

I stumbled upon Mandagarn while attending a political gathering in March in Mumbai. At a stall selling Dalit literature, I saw an old book written by Dr Savita Ambedkar, Dr Ambedkar’s second wife, whom we lovingly call “Maisaheb”.

The book had a photo of her with a foreigner and Vijay Survale, who has the largest archive of Dr BR Ambedkar’s work. An internet search revealed the foreigner’s identity: French filmmaker Arnaud Mandagarn.

Although Mandagarn had made several documentaries in India as well as...

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