7 years After Movie "Newton", A Glimpse Of Democracy In Bastar

Juno Netam and Sukhdhar - two of the local actors who took part in the film -- told NDTV that the village got tap water connection a year ago.

'Newton' was not just a film for the residents of this village in Bastar, Madhya Pradesh. Two residents who had speaking parts of the film, say the area is just as underdeveloped today as shown in the film, made more than seven years ago.

Newton -- a satire on how democracy functions in Maoist-hit areas -- was India's official entry in the Best Foreign Language category at the 2017 Oscars. The shooting took place at Dalli Rajhara in Durg but it put Kongra, a small village in Bastar's Kondagaon, on the developmental map.

Juno Netam and Sukhdhar - two of the local actors who took part in the film -- told NDTV that the village got tap water connection a year ago. A school and a hospital were built around five years ago.

The slow pace is reminiscent of a dialogue in the movie - "A forest does not grow in a single day". But for Kongra, it has taken 70 years after Independence to get the basic amenities.