Last Updated on September 27, 2021 by themigrationnews
Chal Mera Putt ( Let’s Go, My Son! ) is a light-hearted Indian Punjabi-language comic movie. The movie was directed by Janjot Singh, co-produced by Rhythm Boyz Entertainment, Gillz Network, and Omjee Star Studios, and released in July 2019. It is available on amazon prime video with English subtitles. The movie is based on the struggle of a group of undocumented Punjabi immigrants in Birmingham city for survival and also to get permanent residence in that city. The characters of the movie include a group of three undocumented Indian Punjabi immigrants named Jinder, Billa, and Bikkar (played by Amrinder Gill, Gurshabad, and Hardeep Gill, respectively), two Indian young Punjabi immigrant girls Savy (Simi Chahal) and Bal (Rup Khatkar), and another group of three undocumented Pakistani Punjabi immigrants named as Chaudhary Shamsher, Tabrez Waseem, and Butta Khan (played by Iftikhar Khan, Nasir Chinyoti, and Akram Udas respectively).
The director beautifully articulates all the burning issues related to the vulnerable economic and social conditions of the lakhs of undocumented immigrants in advanced countries, who do much hard work, face multiple types of exploitation due to their immigrant status not only in the labour market but in their social life as well, have minimal means for their survival, with their families staying behind at their native places. The movie also provides a glimpse on the political issue of bifurcation of the Punjab region due to partitioning British India into two independent nations: India and Pakistan. In the sphere of geopolitics, both nations have several disputes. However, despite these political disputes, inhabitants of both Punjab states have cultural and lingual ties. Therefore, they have an emotional affection for each other which is reflected in the movie when both the groups of immigrants – Indian and Pakistani Punjabi immigrants, share a common space to live in Birmingham.
(https://www.amazon.com/Chal-Mera-Putt-Title-Soundtrack/dp/B07VKQR7VL)
Undocumented Immigrants and Multiple livelihoods
A job with a formal contract between an employer and an employee, including fixed working hours and wage rate, decent working conditions, and well-defined worker designation, is essential for job security. Undocumented immigrants are mostly unable to get secure jobs. The movie highlights this significant economic aspect that both the status of an immigrant and the security of his/her job are co-related. All the male characters of the movie do not have a stable occupation. Jinder and Billa do multiple jobs, including construction work, car-washing, and as restaurant waiters. They have to do their job as daily wage labourer without any job security, besides the challenge of finding such jobs on a daily basis. Once a contractor who provides them work at a construction site exploits them by refusing to pay them any wages of the days worked, the laws related to minimum wage rates are not applicable to them due to their participation in the hidden labour market. Therefore, they earn below the legal minimum wage rate. It shows their position in the labour market that they fall under the most vulnerable working population category. The other characters in the movie often perform hard manual jobs as floor cleaners, orchestra dancers, and a living street statue. Because of the temporary status of their work, they fail to get permanent work. Therefore, they have to choose multiple occupations for survival every week.
The movie also draws attention to the economic issues of internationally mobile students in the Global North. For example, Savy, the main female character of the movie, who immigrated to the United Kingdom on a student visa, once tells Jinder that she performed the work of digging graves to arrange the heavy amount of fees of her study program. This exposes the reality that the previous studies of international students are not recognized in these countries, and thus, they have to do menial jobs for their survival.
Poor Living Conditions of the Undocumented Workers
The living condition of the undocumented workers is also exposed in the movie. In fear of a police raid at their rental house Jinder, Billa, and Bikker have to leave their place and spend a night in the car on the road. They then meet with Chaudhary Shamsher, a living statue performer who already lives with two other male characters of the movie: Boota and Tabrez. All the six get ready to share that small space with a single living room, kitchen, and washroom to reduce their living expenses. In the beginning, they cook and eat together and have fun together by dancing and singing, and trolling each other at times. However, their low level of earnings and vulnerable working conditions leads to fights and misunderstandings between them. They, then form two groups based on their nationalities to resolve these issues. They divide the living room area and fix a time for using the kitchen and other shared spaces. The bifurcation of all these things indicates that the director wants to touch on the issue of the division of two nations, India and Pakistan, after decolonization. The causes and outcomes of both types of partitions are somewhat common. India and Pakistan’s religion-based partition had been thought of as the panacea for all the socio-economic and political problems of the Indian subcontinent. Similarly, the characters of the movie split themselves into two groups. The root cause of all the socio-economic and political problems in the Indian sub-continent was the colonial super-exploitation, and partition not only failed to resolve these problems but aggravated the impoverishment of common masses in both nations. Subsequently, in the movie, the root cause of the characters’ problems is their vulnerable economic condition due to their super-exploitation in the labour market, and their decision of division into two groups fails to enhance their level of living.
The Prevalence of Contract Marriage as a route to get Permanent Residence in the Global North
The movie also highlights another social issue related to immigration, i.e., marriage institutions as a ladder to get permanent residence in advanced countries. Undocumented immigrants and those who want to be a part of immigration to advanced countries, especially the males, become ready to pay a specific amount for marriage with a girl who already has citizenship of that country in which they want to reside permanently. This system is especially prevalent in the northern states of Punjab and Haryana. The two male characters of the movie Jinder and Tabrez, choose this route to get permanent residence in the United Kingdom. Tabrez’s father, the owner of a brick kiln firm in Pakistan, wants to arrange a contract marriage through his kinship connection in Birmingham for Tabrez.
The agony of Family Separation
Boota Khan’s mother staying behind at his native place requires health treatment for her severe illness. This situation makes Boota Khan dejected, that even after doing much hard work he remains unable to send the needed money back to his family for the treatment of his mother. Another incident in the movie which shows the agony of family separation is in the case of the character Bikkar. He is a middle-aged character living in Birmingham, whom Jinder and Billa call Chacha (Uncle). His entire family, including his wife, son, and daughter, stays behind at his native place. His family organizes the marriage rituals of his daughter, but he has to remain absent from the marriage function as he cannot travel to his country owing to his undocumented immigrant status. Therefore, he starts crying when he sees his daughter in the bridal getup on a video call. In this way, the movie provides an insight into the psychological impact of being separated from one’s family in the lives of undocumented immigrants.
Despite everything, the movie ends with a message to live in unity for the sake of humanity. Also, it reflects the human spirit to tackle all the problems gleefully as all the characters of the movie live cheerfully despite the presence of multiple vulnerabilities in their lives. Although it is a light entertainment movie, it deals with many serious matters related to the lives of undocumented immigrants living in Global North.
Harjinder Singh has completed M.A. in Economics from the Department of Economics, Punjabi University, Patiala, Punjab. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Social Sciences, focusing on International Migration with a multidisciplinary approach. He has been awarded Junior Research Fellowship from University Grants Commission. His areas of interest include – Political Economy of Development, Migration and Development Studies, Globalization and Local Transformations, Agrarian Studies of the Third World, and Economic Theories. He is also fond of reading poetry and historical studies. Twitter: @harjinderecon