In the early weeks of the Coronavirus lockdown, we woke up every morning to images of migrant workers trudging along the national highways, desperate to reach their hometowns. A year later, filmmaker Vinod Kapri has revisited their pathos with his documentary 1232 KMS. While celebrating their indomitable spirit in the face of adversity, the documentary also underlines society’s apathy towards the marginalised sections. “[After the lockdown in March 2020], I was helping seven labourers from Ghaziabad with ration. I advised them not to move out, holding them on for two weeks. When they decided to leave for Bihar, I wanted to document their journey,” recounts Kapri about the project’s genesis.

Over the next seven days, the construction labourers made the long road home on bicycles, surviving on little money and determination. “All the dhabas were shut; so there was no food or shelter,” he says of the workers, who slept by the roadside at night and hitchhiked on a truck on one occasion. “We, as a society, failed them. It was a crisis for everyone, but the privileged ones were at home, comfortable. Millions of people were penniless and hungry, and there was no one to help them. These people build our homes, but when there was a crisis, we ignored them. This documentary gives them a face and tells their story.”

Kapri’s 23-year journalism career came handy as his assistant and he shot the documentary, without the aid of a crew. “After watching the film, I hope people realise their lack of empathy.”