The village has yet to lay metal roads.

Basta:

Newton is more than just a film for the residents of this village in Bastar, Madhya Pradesh. Two residents who spoke in the video said the area is as developed today as it was shown in the video taken more than seven years ago.

“Newton” satirizes the workings of democracy in Maoist-influenced areas and is India’s official entry for the 2017 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language. The shooting took place in Dhali Lahara in Durg, but it put Kongla, a small village in Bastakondagaon, on the development map.

Juno Netam and Sukhdar, two local actors who participated in the film, told New Delhi Television that the village was connected to running water a year ago. A school and a hospital were built about five years ago.

The slow pace is reminiscent of a line in the movie – “Forests don’t grow in a day.” But for Kongra, it took 70 years after independence to get basic facilities.

Even now, though, not all the boxes are ticked. The village has yet to lay metal roads. The approach road is a dirt road that starts with a left turn on the road from Kondagaon to Narayanpur.

At Mr Netam’s house, his daughter-in-law Sukhwati Netam was seen cooking lunch on a wood stove. The family said she is yet to get the benefits of Ujjwala Yojana. Even Rs. The $1,000 grant under the Mahtari Vandan Yojana is yet to reach the family. Under the Mahtari Vandan Yojana scheme, the Chhattisgarh government provides Rs 1,000 per month to women applicants who are married, widowed and economically disadvantaged groups.

Sukhdar’s character in the film has only one line. The man who played Maoist had to say: “If you vote, we will chop off your hands”. But while the site, in the heart of Abu Jimal, is one of the largest Maoist centers, locals say they have yet to see any Maoists. Sudhakar has/has not seen the Maoists. Neither did Mankar Netam.

The film was shot in 14 days and cost Rs 1,400. Asked if the shooting took place in the village, Juneau and Sukhdar said they had traveled to Delhi.