Dibakar Banerjee's ‘Tees': A muted masterpiece?
To explore Tees's complex themes—rising communalism, generational trauma and queer marginalisation under a surveillance state—Banerjee, who co-wrote, directed and produced the film, pulled from both the personal and the political. This included memories from his childhood and neighbourhood, Indian television epics like Hum Log and Buniyaad, Ashapurna Devi's Prothom Protishruti trilogy and Robert Harris's speculative historical novel Fatherland, which he claims influenced him 'subconsciously'. But the film's urgency came from the filmmaker watching young couples, especially Muslims, trying to rent a flat in Mumbai and from the murder of Gauri Lankesh.
SPANNING GENERATIONS |Naseeruddin Shah in a still from Tees
Banerjee has been making Hindi movies for nearly two decades—boasting an oeuvre that is both distinct and impossible to replicate. He debuted with Khosla Ka Ghosla (2006), a sharp satire about middle-class aspirations; helmed Love Sex Aur Dhokha (2010), a found-footage style anthology; and went on to direct a segment in Netflix-backed anthologies Bombay Talkies (2013) and Lust Stories (2018). In many ways, the expansive ambition of Tees was meant to be a culmination of Banerjee's evolution as a filmmaker. But with Tees buried, he became the very figure his film mourns: an artist muted by the system.In between, the filmmaker kept busy, directing a short film and releasing a potent sequel to Love Sex Aur Dhokha. Yet, Banerjee still found himself grappling with waves of anger and frustration. Navigating the emotional toll of the film's shelving while continuing to move forward as a filmmaker was a 'gradual' process—one he credits to therapy and a drive for inventive solutions. 'Choosing your workmates well is virtually half the battle won,' adds Banerjee.The disappearance of Tees may be best understood in the context of the controversy that surrounded Tandav (2021), the Prime Video series that drew right-wing ire for its portrayal of dissent and religious imagery. Despite edits, legal cases mounted, and fear took hold. It sent a clear warning to streamers, who became increasingly cautious about supporting projects that might provoke similar backlash. In such a fragile climate, films like Tees have arguably become collateral damage.According to Banerjee, filmmaking is an expensive art form that demands 'mediated investment' but which become an easy target because of its ability to reach out to a massive audience. Suppressing art that focuses on truth-telling, questioning and challenging narratives is a surefire way to condition audiences in the practice of distraction. 'A generation growing up on moving images can be better controlled if cruelty, misogyny and empty spectacle are provided through films regularly,' he argues.advertisementSimply by existing, Tees defies that conditioning. Invisibilising it makes clear exactly which stories are unwelcome in India today. And yet, its disappearance has only amplified the urgency of what it had to say.Subscribe to India Today MagazineMust Watch
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