Movie based discussion–RANGO

Summary: Watching a movie is always fun and exciting. But, can it be educational as well? Of course, it can! Read this article to know how a movie can be used to discuss lesson-related concepts in classrooms.

A discussion based on the movie Rango was organized for teachers at Nonankuppam and Villianur on 20 October 2018. A total of 11 teachers watched the movie and discussed about some of the animals and plants that appeared in the movie, a few problems related to water scarcity, and how these topics could be taken to the classroom.

Movie Synopsis

A domesticated chameleon (Johnny Depp) accidentally finds himself in a water-deficient town called Dirt. Proclaiming himself to be the ‘Sheriff’, he tries to solve the problem by bringing water to the dry town. The movie revolves around the theme of water and the politics behind it: the power of the one who owns water, the rich-poor divide, and how people are made to starve.

Lessons in the EVS textbook that were taken up for discussion

Discussion

Animals - Initially, the discussion was around animals like chameleons, owlets, frogs, rattle snakes, kites, tortoises, etc. A teacher talked about the frog that beautifully camouflaged itself to survive against the kite, and how after watching that, the chameleon also did something to protect itself from the raptor–it acted like a cactus and stood behind a plant.

Another teacher noticed that the landscape shown in the movie was dry like a desert, and it was evident from their ash-coloured exterior and rough texture that some species like the frog, the snake, and the kite had adapted themselves to that geographical condition. Discussion was also conducted about various other species of animals which looked unfamiliar.

Plants - One teacher talked about the scene where a drink made of cactus was served to the chameleon. A cactus usually saves water in its stem to survive the dry weather. It uses that water whenever it is needed. People living in the desert know about this, and they use it when there is no other source of water.

Water - The politics of water, as shown in the movie, led to a discussion about a book on virtual water (கண்ணுக்குத் தெரியாமல் களவு போகும் நீர்) written by Nakkeeran. It soon became obvious that almost everything that we use could be associated to water. For example, all the things in the room, such as pen and paper, or electric appliances like fan and light, have all used water for their production. Moreover, the electricity that is required to run some of the gadgets is also generated by water.

Further, places like Ranipet and Aambur on the Paalar river belt were also brought into the discussion. This region has seen an exponential rise in leather factories, which, in turn, have polluted and destroyed the river. The raw leather produced from these factories are exported to western countries, such as Italy, which is arguably the producer of the world’s best leather. Perhaps they could have produced the raw leather as well, considering their advanced technological prowess. However, they did not, as they were worried about their rivers. So, most of the leather factories are installed in developing or least-developed countries, which also become the markets of the finished products. In Tamil Nadu, the Noyyal river bed is another striking example. Water is the key to life and it is key to all manufacturing and business-related activities. Hence, the one who controls water can control everything. This way, certain powerful people in the movie, like the mayor, tries to control everything that happens in the city by controlling the water supply and by rationing it. In current times, we can see an increasing number of fights and conflicts occurring over water.

Another point that was raised in the discussion was the wastage of water in Puducherry. People wasting water while washing their utensils and vehicles or due to overflowing water tanks are common sights.

Based on the golf-course scene in the movie, teachers pointed out that a lot of water is often wasted for sports like golf and cricket, which is mostly played by rich people. Around 32 acres of land is required for constructing a golf course, and it is mostly done in metro cities like Chennai and Delhi. A recently-released movie, Kaala, was taken up for discussion as one of the scenes was about the construction of a golf course.

Classroom relevance

In EVS, the theme of water spans across all grades. ‘River’s Tale’ (Grade 4) deals with the flow of a river, right from its origin to its mouth, and the kind of pollution it faces through its course.

Since ‘Every drop counts’ and ‘Experiments with water’ (Grade 5) also deal with the theme of water, the movie could be used to generate interest for the topic among the students and as a basis for further discussion. Students of grades 3 and 4 can also be shown the movie to kindle their interest about the animals and birds that are shown in it, and this could help them while studying some of the lessons ‘Poonam’s day out’, ‘Flying high’, and ‘A busy month’.

Overall, it was agreed that the movie was made well; it was a movie that would capture the interest of both the teacher and the students, and it would also serve as a good base for initiating discussions.