‘The first person, I called after winning the award was Ma, and both of us remained silent.’ These humbling words were spoken by Dulal Sarkar — the man of the moment — who bagged the Best Actor Award for Kaushik Ganguly's Chotoder Chobi,a Bengali film, at the 45th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Goa, on 27th March, 2016.
Chotoder Chobi, meaning ‘Little People’s Picture’ produced by Shree Venkatesh Films, focuses on the predicaments of those born with genetic defects causing dwarfism.
However, all the applause he was receiving meant little to Sarkar, the 40-year old midget who lived in Howrah, West Bengal. He only wished to meet his mother.
When he spoke to the press, this real life dwarf — who also plays a dwarf in the film — divulged, ‘Throughout my life, I've been teased about my appearance. So, now that my work is being appreciated, I don't know how to react. I feel numb. All I want to do is touch my Ma's feet. She's my biggest support. I lost my father two years back, but I know he's up there, somewhere, blessing me.’
Dulal Sarkar regretted that people like him are not even considered physically challenged. He recalled his own pathetic experience, once in a bus in Kolkata. Dulal had been sitting on the seat meant for the handicapped but he had been forced to vacate it.
‘Though I was carrying a card which said I was 60 percent handicapped, a youth forced me to vacate the seat shouting, “a dwarf can’t be a physically challenged person,” and he was supported by all other passengers. I tripped and fell on the floor in my hurry to get away from my tormenters and some of them laughed,’ Dulal remembered bitterly.
Sarkar also narrated how his classmates used to mock him. If he stood up to speak in class, everyone laughed at him. In fact, he recalled how his mother used to hide him under her sari pallav when she walked him to his school. She wanted to protect the child from the people on the street who pointed fingers at him as though he was a spectacle.
Presently, Dulal lives in a rented house with his mother and two brothers. ‘We're five brothers, but three of them live separately with their families. I'm the only dwarf in the family. Yes, I was humiliated a lot but I learnt to take it in my stride. I promised myself that I'll prove my worth one day,’ said the actor, his voice catching on the last words.
Ironically, the IFFI winner used to 'entertain' as a joker at birthday parties, marriages, the circus and melas until recently. ‘It's how I earned a living for my Ma.’ As he spoke of his first reactions to winning the Award, Dulal added, ‘In that silence of my first call to Ma, we were both crying. I want to buy her a nice sari from Howrah. And I'm dying to have maach-bhaat cooked by her.’ He laughed, ‘She used to love me the most, but now my nieces and nephews have taken a share of it.’
The actor admitted that he worships Kaushik Ganguly, the director of the film. ‘The day I went for auditions, I could see Kaushikda had expectations from me. And since then, all I tried to do was to live up to them. He was so happy with my first shot! After all the barbs I've lived through, I was treated like an artiste for the first time on the sets of Chotoder Chobi. Kaushikda hasn't just given me a chance at life, he has given recognition to our community. It's my earnest request to everyone: don't make fun of us! We already have a tragic existence, trying to 'fit in' because nothing fits us,’ he said.
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