My Name Is Salt is a documentary film released in 2013 by filmmaker Farida Pacha that revolves around the life of a salt-producing family in the Rann of Kutch, Gujarat. The movie is primarily a reflection of the salt extraction process, highlighting the seasonal migration of families from villages to deserts in India. It is the story of Sanabhai Pagi, his wife and kids are one of such families that spent eight months in the desert to harvest salt. It is about how one should take pride in their work even if it represents a poverty-stricken family undertaking a tedious job.
The film follows Sanabhai extracting salt from 70 feet below the surface with countless challenges coming the way that renders him helpless to borrow money from a local merchant to purchase diesel for his pump. His wife, Devuben supported him through his journey in the desert. There comes a point where Sanabhai hits a block in the crystallising process. The filmmaker, Farida Pacha was delayed in the production; it was taking a few more days for the salt to crystallise. Sanabhai faced several problems along the way, there was a shortage of water supply and acquired it by ordering a water tanker after the well they had dug up dried. The difficulty in the crystallising of the salt. Sanabhai was unable to understand the reason behind the delayed crystallisation of the salt which further made the salt vendor reduce their prices. Rather than whining about the loss, Sanabhai resolved to make it worth it
The filmmaker wanted it to be an observational film. She maintains that once the viewers would get into the flow, it would be easy to understand it without dialogues or narration. The filmmaker mentions that like any other Indian family, Sanabhai’s family also did not talk much in their daily routine unless it was about their work. Indicating their dedication and commitment to their job.
In this case, visual narration really worked for the film. The frames were also visually appealing for the viewers. The cracked and barren desert surface with abandoned boats, a few people walking faraway, the scorching heat, and also the scene of blue water in the pit added to the visual appeal of the film. For the viewers, it was like watching photographs. The filmmaker believes the desert to be the protagonist as the movie captures different moods of the desert that kept the viewers hitched to it. What added to the experience of the viewers was the sound. The background sound of the pump, Sanabhai picking the wet mud, or the family walking on the mud. The rhythmic labour gave life to the film.
For Farida, it was a challenging experience. They had to decide ways to charge their camera batteries as there was no supply of electricity in the desert. The cinematographer, Louis, decided to use solar panels and carried these heavy panels every place they visited. The beginning of the movie was the toughest to shoot as stated by the filmmaker. They had to adjust to the climatic conditions of the place and also get Sanabhai’s family accustomed to the shooting of the film.
Along this journey, the viewers felt a constant feeling of hope for the salt to crystallise by the Pagi family. We could see the children helping in the extraction before their school time. Their mother's unconditional support towards nurturing the family by helping her husband in the desert surface was worth waiting for. Living for eight months in a plain desert with no civilization in sight except for some boats left abandoned. These boats were for use later when the surface would be flooded with seawater after the end of the extraction time.
One of the primary themes of the documentary was how silence speaks volumes more than actions. The movie was edited without any narration or dialogues but it was compensated by their actions and of course, the sound. Everyone who was a part of the film had something to express with their actions. Whether it is the son devotedly watching his father digging, the wife taking care of the kids, or Sanabhai working on the salt farm. Another theme present in the film could be the unconditional love and support of the family. Throughout the film, it did not appear that only Sanabhai was responsible for the extraction process of the salt. Despite the problems, Sanabhai’s family did not leave his side and worked harder to make their labour count.
What made the documentary memorable was witnessing how their life revolved around the creation of salt. The joy on Sanabhai’s face when the crystals were retrieved was priceless. Unfortunately, it was only for eight months when they had to go back to their villages after the desert had turned into the sea.
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