A film on fossil fuel exploration in the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu

“For the past two decades, fossil fuel exploration activities have been going on in this region. The film Soru (Food) is about how India’s dream of fossil fuel knocking the door of climate change and endangering onshore and offshore of the Cauvery delta region in our state in addition to the agrarian crisis,” Prabhagaran explains the narrative.

Shot in places like Thanjavur, Mayiladuthurai, Thiruvarur and Nagapattinam, Soru is not narrated in the typical documentary format. “The story travels through multiple characters – farmers and activists from the region talk about how the several fossil fuel projects are dangerous to the Cauvery delta region. In an era where we are fighting climate change, the film attempts to create a discourse on the massive expansion of the fossil fuel industry. The United Nations has announced this year as ‘A Break-It-or-Make-It’ Year for climate action. But here in Tamil Nadu, the infrastructure to strengthen fossil fuel activities are in full swing. The way we are telling this story will make the people’s orientation more towards safeguarding our fragile environment,” the filmmaker adds.

He tells us that farmers in the state face many unresolved issues and government agencies are not taking any necessary actions. “Farmers and the locals are not aware of what’s happening in their villages. They don’t know if these projects are beneficial to them or not,” he says.