Under the Cruel Sun: It’s Only 47°C and India’s Unequal Extreme Heat Impact
Who does India’s extreme heat crisis really affect?
For the privileged,
climate change is often a distant issue—something they discuss on social media,
hear about in the news, or read about in scholarly articles. The rising heat
mildly inconveniences them: another excuse to lower the air conditioner
temperature, order groceries online, or avoid stepping outdoors altogether.
But what about those
who have nowhere to escape? Who had nothing to do with causing the crisis, yet
are the unfortunate victims of its daily impact?
It’s Only 47°C, a poignant short film live on the Pocket
Films YouTube channel, produced by Civic Studios alongside Naseeruddin
Shah’s Motley Productions, confronts these uncomfortable questions head-on.
The Unfair Divide: Frontline Workers
on the Margins
The people facing the
greatest risk are always on the frontlines. We saw this inequality during the
COVID-19 pandemic, and we are seeing it again with the climate crisis.
Streetside vendors,
traffic constables, rickshaw pullers, delivery drivers, and agricultural
workers cannot simply step inside an air-conditioned room when the sun turns
merciless. The Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) report,
Mapping Climate Risks and Impacts of Extreme Heatwave Disaster in Indian
Districts, reinforces this harsh truth: extreme climate events
disproportionately punish marginalised communities who lack the financial means
or infrastructure to adapt.
To bring out this
intersectional reality, director Tej Sisodia anchors the narrative in the lives
of those directly enduring the climate fallout. The film traces a gruelling day
in the life of traffic constable Lakshman Chaubey (played with quiet intensity
by Sharib Hashmi), whose job requires him to stand in the scorching sun for
hours on end.
"The frontline
are the invisible engines that keep our chaotic systems moving even at peak
heat, while the more privileged remain insulated behind air conditioners," notes
Sisodia.
The Harsh Realities of India’s
Heatwave Crisis
Behind the human
stories lie staggering numbers that highlight the sheer scale of India’s
climate vulnerability:
- Districts at High Risk: CEEW finds nearly 57% of Indian
districts (home to 76% of the population) are currently exposed to
high or extreme heat risks.
- Prolonged Heat Stress: In 2024, India experienced its longest
recorded heatwave since 2010. Multiple states endured daytime temperatures
above 40°C for an entire month, resulting in over 44,000 recorded
heatstroke cases.
- Socioeconomic Impact: India is projected to lose the equivalent
of 35 million full-time jobs and face a 4.5% reduction in GDP by
2030 due to heat stress alone.
- Rising Overnight Temperatures: While blistering daytime peaks dominate
headlines, the alarming rise in warm nighttime temperatures
prevents bodies from recovering, severely amplifying health hazards.
Feeling the heat
worsening over recent years isn't just a stray incident; it is the direct
consequence of rapid environmental degradation.
People, Not Just Statistics
Between 1992 and 2015,
India reported 24,223 heat-related deaths. Yet, statistics alone often fail to
move us. Art does.
Art translates raw
data into human stories: their struggles, fatigue, helplessness, and quiet
endurance. Throughout It’s Only 47°C, we meet the everyday workforce of
our cities: the rickshaw puller panting in the heat, the roadside food vendor
standing over a hot stove, the farmer watching dry soil crack under a cloudless
sky.
"We wanted
viewers to sit with these characters, experience their stillness and endurance,
and ultimately give people who are often ignored a face and a voice," says Sisodia.
Lived Realities and Daily Reflections
The film opens up a
world we routinely overlook in our daily rush.
As we prepare for our
morning routines, booking air-conditioned cabs or stepping into
temperature-controlled offices, how often do we pause to think about those
without such luxuries? The fruit vendor on the corner, the traffic constable at
the intersection, the security guard standing at our apartment gates: how do
they survive the day?
As we wait at traffic
signals while our algorithms distract our minds, is there space for compassion
for those who have no way out?
For Sisodia, the film
was born directly out of these observations and his own lived experiences.
"This film is
born out of my personal observations," Sisodia reflects. "It reflects the brutal summers I witnessed
growing up in North India, where the heat doesn't just scorch the land—it
scorches lives."
A Warning and A Spark of
Hope
One of the film’s most
poignant visual moments occurs when Constable Chaubey, gasping for breath in
the oppressive heat, sits exhausted on the curb. A sleek, air-conditioned car
halts beside him. From behind the tinted glass, a little girl peers out at him.
The brief interaction lays bare the profound class divide, reminding us that
education and empathy for younger generations are vital if we hope to change
our trajectory.
Adding immense
emotional depth to this message is a powerful concluding poem written by Swanand
Kirkire and hauntingly narrated by Naseeruddin Shah.
The verses symbolise
the young girl as a sapling watching the grand trunk of the green world being sliced
open by human greed:
“जो लगी
आग तो सब
जलेंगे, तुमभी चीखोगे मिटते हुए
If the fire breaks
out, everyone will burn, you too will cry out as you perish.”
Despite the harsh
realities it depicts, It’s Only 47°C ends with an urgent call to action.
It advocates for localised Heat Action Plans (HAPs) across cities: frameworks
that incorporate hyper-local climate data, public health measures, and targeted
protections for outdoor workers.
The despair in a
traffic policeman’s eyes isn't just for himself; it is a reflection of our
collective future. Unlike humans, extreme heat does not discriminate for long.
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