Arvind Kejriwal (right) and his party colleagues. Courtesy of Memesys Lab. All rights reserved.Delhi, India. A scrum of men struggle for space with strained voices and pained expressions. Squirming hands clasp at limbs and clothing, or snatch idly into the air. “The table is about to fall!” Soldiers in green uniforms and berets push back at the crowd, protecting a rack of press microphones that encircle a small podium. Journalists, clinging to their cameras and notepads, press themselves inwards. “Mr. Kejriwal!"
The sea of bodies parts and a man, seemingly unremarkable, takes position in the centre of the frame. The camera shakes and the shouting increases. Hands and voices reach out to him from all sides, but Arvind Kejriwal is solemn and unflinching, fixing his gaze outwards.
This short scene is one of many powerful moments in An Insignificant Man, a striking new documentary that chronicles the startling rise of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Indian politics, set in the restless metropolis of Delhi. Evolving out of a high-profile anti-corruption movement, the AAP – or ‘Common Man’s Party’ – became a serious political force in 2012, promising to break the mould of stagnant, opaque politics that has been shared by India’s major parties for decades.
