Documentary Slaves of the Empire celebrates the joyous energy of dhobi khana workers

The documentary, which has begun its journey at major festivals, focusses on the lives of four of the workers

Oppressed classes or groups often get a particular kind of treatment in documentaries, mostly highlighting their hardships. Although such approaches are well-intentioned, it also leads to the filmmaker and even the audience overlooking the fact that there is much more to their life than what is seen through the lens of oppression. They too have happy moments and guilty pleasures.

Filmmaker Rajesh James’s documentary Slaves of the Empire which shines a light on the lives of laundry workers at the dhobi khana in Fort Kochi, takes another approach, capturing the joyous energy of their daily lives. The Dutch are believed to have brought the first set of enslaved workers of the Vannar community from Tamil Nadu to work in the laundry houses. Generations later, the community still thrives here, washing and ironing clothes from houses and institutions in the old way in a large shared space.

The documentary, which has begun its journey at major festivals, focusses on the lives of four of the workers – Rajan, Pratti, Rajashekharan, and Selvaraj – all of them senior citizens, just like a majority of the workers at the dhobi khana, as hardly anyone from the next generation is attracted to the job. Around 40 families are still dependent on the dhobi khana.

One of the fascinating stories is that of Selvaraj and his Rajinikanth fandom. We see the man with sheer dedication going to a printing shop with some of his meagre savings and getting a large size print of his favourite star on his birthday, with Selvaraj’s own name added to it. Rajan’s exchanges with his wife are humourous, as she sees through his tough exterior. The entire documentary in stark black and white has some evocative imagery from their daily lives and of the customs that they still hold dear.

“The dhobi khana is often through a tourist gaze, but hardly anyone is interested in exploring the history. They are not people to be sympathised with, for they live a happy life. The work did not start as a documentary. I have been interacting with them for quite some time and was interested to explore their daily lives, customs and leisure activities,” says Mr. James, faculty at the Sacred Heart College, Thevara.

His previous documentary In Thunder, Lightning and Rain, which told the stories of three women who endured physical and mental pain, also took a similar approach looking beyond their gloomy past and celebrating their strength of character.