Katiyabaaz
Rated: 5/10
For those who are not familiar with the word katiyabaaz, katiya means putting an illegal wire in the main power line and the person who is a master at this is called katiyabaaz. So, one can infer from the title that the film is about stealing electricity.
Directed by Deepti Kakkar and Fahad Mustafa, Katiyabaaz, set in Kanpur, is a realistic take on the problems that the city faces due to outages. The fact that there are power cuts for more than 15 hours a day means that the common man has no option but to steal electricity because everything depends on power.
The documentary portrays a stark reality that many face in the Capital as well. That it is the system that makes one want to steal; that it is the linesman who gives you the option to do so; that power companies force a person to cheat. Instances where people have got bills worth `15,000 even though their colony doesn’t get more than five hours of power supply in a day are a dime a dozen. Illegal wires hanging from every pole in a tangle is a truth common to cities across the country.
From showcasing bureaucratic problems, to those of a common man to how the politicians take advantage of the situation as issues dealt with sensitivity. Since no solution has been given, the fact that the system has lost in the face of public agitation leaves one with a lot of negativity.