This year’s General Elections had a unique twist for Indian comedy fans when comedian Shyam Rangeela decided to contest from PM Narendra Modi’s constituency of Varanasi. There was a lot of chatter leading up to him filing his nomination papers. There was a lot of chatter after that too, when his submission was rejected. This entire journey was documented by director Varrun Sukhraj in the documentary Jamoora.
Produced by Kunal Kamra, the documentary chronicles Rangeela’s efforts to submit his nomination form and how the system is seemingly rigged against all independent candidates. Alongside Kamra, comedian and lyricist Varun Grover and singer-lyricist Swanand Kirkire contributed to the project by writing and singing the film’s only song.
Here are some of the key moments and takeaways from the documentary.
The Story Begins In Varanasi
Sukhraj—writer, director and narrator of the documentary—arrives in Varanasi as the 18th General Elections are about to kick off. This is the city from which our current Prime Minister Narendra Modi had contested and won the previous two—and now three—elections. The documentary captures exactly why. From chants of “Jai Shree Ram” to people lauding his commitment to Hindutva, the city is gung ho about the PM. “Modi ke liye jaan dene ke liye tayyar hai, lene ke liye tayyar hai. Jai Modi!” exclaims one individual.
And then enters the hero of the documentary—or jamoora (a specific type of sidekick in traditional folk theatre) as he has been dubbed here—Rangeela. He decided to contest the elections from Varanasi. On 1 May 2024, Rangeela shared a video across his social media accounts announcing his campaign.
What Was His Motive?
BJP’s Mukesh Dalal was declared the winner without a single vote being polled in Gujarat’s Surat. Why? Because most other candidates’ nominations were declared invalid due to minor errors in their affidavits, while others backed out, allegedly due to pressure. What kind of pressure? We don’t know.
Rangeela wanted to highlight this particular oddity. He wanted to urge people to come to the forefront and vote for whoever they wanted, free from fear and influence. And he believed contesting from Varanasi would amplify his voice and cause to the fullest.
The First Hurdle
Right from the get go, the cards are stacked against Rangeela. He has all the necessary paperwork in place but when he goes to collect the nomination form to file for the elections, he is refused one. There are scores of people who want to independently file their candidacy facing the same plight. In the absence of queues and a dedicated process, the officials exercise an authoritarian rule. Despite themabiding by the guidelines set by the Election Commission, additional details of proposers (voters from the constituency you are running for and support your nomination) are asked for. But finally, after speaking with some higher ups, he’s assured that if he can gather 10 people who are willing to back Rangeela’s nomination, he’ll be on the ballot. And so the hunt begins.
The Artist Movement Care Fund
Initially, Rangeela was wary of accepting donations for his campaigning efforts. But he quickly realised that capital is definitely needed and sets up the Artist Movement Care Fund. “Aapki ek ek pai ka hisaab aapko yeh Rangeela dega,” he says in the PM’s signature cadence. “Yeh paise loktantra ko bachane aaye hai. Hum isse loktantra bachayenge,” Rangeela tells the camera.
Designer Clothing
PM Modi’s black suit adorned with his name in gold was a major part of The Discourse TM for a while. According to reports, globally acclaimed tailor Tom James was assigned the job. Woven in England, the fabric came from London’s Holland & Sherry. While the price was kept confidential by the spokesperson of the brand, the suit worn once by the prime minister was bought by a man in Surat at an auction for a record-breaking INR 4.3 crore.
What’s Rangeela wearing? Jagdish International. A tailor named Sonu from Sriganganagar delivered two white kurtas and brown jackets to Rangeela, when he had decided that he wants to run for the elections.
The Nomination Form Is Secured
After two days of meeting activists and politicians looking for guidance, Rangeela manages to find one extremely helpful gentleman—advocate Prem Prakash. He procures the nomination form for Rangeela and promises to extend his support in his campaigning endeavours. “Yeh Ravidas ka sheher hai, Gautam Buddha ka sheher hai, Kabir ka sheher hai aur Munshi Premchand ka sheher hai,” he says. “Saari virasat aur sanskriti ka sheher hai yeh. Aur isko inhone pakhand aur dhong aur logon ko gumrah karne wala aur mandir-masjid aur Hindu-Muslim ka sheher bana diya.”
He is hopeful that Rangeela’s efforts will keep the brotherhood amongst communities alive and strengthen the bond. The next hurdle: securing 10 proposers.
Bullies Block The Way
On 13 May, while PM Modi’s roadshow is underway in his constituency of Varanasi, Rangeela with his 14 proposers and team reach the District Magistrate’s office to file his nomination. But it’s not that easy. Dozens of people voice their frustration at the hurdles that come in their way—specifically the BJP workers who block the lines and stop them from filing for candidacy. “Yeh log dhamki de rahe hai, keh rahe hai latthi charge karenge,” says one individual. Claims are made about people being followed home and harassed because they’ve shown their intent to contest in the elections. “We are witnessing the murder of our constitution,” says another person. Rangeela faces a similar fate and fails to submit his form.
Amid all this chaos, as they are leaving, Sukhraj’s team who is tailing their car alerts him that certain people have clicked pictures of their number plate.
One Last Attempt
14 May is the last day people are allowed to submit their forms. But this time, there’s a much bigger (and quite literal) roadblock. Prime Minister Modi is slated to come to the office to file his candidacy and so, the police force has cordoned off the area. Rangeela is assured that once Modi has submitted his form at 11:40 am, he is free to go stand in line. But that moment never comes.
In this process we learn one fun fact—according to the Democracy Report 2024 released by the Gothenburg-based V-Dem Institute that tracks democratic freedoms worldwide, India has been reclassified as an electoral autocracy since 2018. It defines an electoral autocracy as one in which multiparty elections for the executive exist albeit with “insufficient levels of fundamental requisites such as freedom of expression and association, and free and fair elections”.
While Modi, Amit Shah and UP CM Yogi Adityanath breeze into the office to file for the former’s candidacy, Rangeela struggles to get a straight answer as to why he is being refrained from upholding his constitutional right.
To end things, the people who are lined up to submit their forms are let in at 2:58 pm, almost three hours after Modi has left the building. The office stops taking submissions at 3:00 pm. Rangeela manages to get in with some others and comes out victorious after filing his candidacy.
All Is Lost
But they soon realise that the receipt they’ve received mentions that the candidate failed to take the oath and has until 11:59 pm that night to rectify the mistake and file an affidavit. Rangeela reaches the District Magistrate’s office with his team but is sent packing by the DM. Battered and hopeless, he makes one last attempt the next day. But unsurprisingly, his nomination is rejected—like all the others who filed with him.
“Humari jeet jo kal hui thi, woh aaj haar ho gayi. Lekin humari haar mein jeet isliye hogi kyunki jo aaj hum yahan pe dikhane aaye the woh humne dikhaya hai. Logon ko yeh dikh gaya hai.
– Shyam Rangeela
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