Tikli and Laxmi Bomb to have its Indian premiere at the 23rd Kolkata International Film Festival

After generating quite a buzz in the film circuit owing to its bold charcterisation and fresh message, Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) alumnus Aditya Kripalani’s indie film, Tikli and Laxmi Bomb, is all set to have its Indian premiere at the ongoing 23rd Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF). It will screened today at Rabindra Sadan, Kolkata.

Written and directed by Aditya, the film primarily highlights a what-if situation through the eyes of Tikli and Laxmi, both sex workers hailing from Mumbai’s red-light area. They’ve decided to kick men out of the system, bash patriarchy, and take over the jobs that men usually do.

Says Aditya, “So far, we’ve sent the film to over 15 international festivals and two national ones, including KIFF, and there are many more festivals that are yet to happen, so I think the film is in a great space at the moment. Aditya received confirmation from the festival committee in October, that the film
has been selected for the first edition of the festival’s ‘Indian Language’ competition section.

Actor Vibhawari Deshpande, who essays the role of Laxmi Malvankar in the film, is happy that the film will have its national premiere in Kolkata. “The City of Joy has given us some of the finest filmmakers, and audiences there are also the connoisseurs of good work. We’re excited to see how they will receive the film,” says Vibhawari, known for her work in Harishchandrachi Factory (2009), Natarang (2010) and Balgandharva (2011), among others. “Once it has its commercial release, I’m sure Marathi audiences will also like the film. It is bold and quite unlike something I’ve done in the past,” she adds.

Meanwhile, Chitrangada Chakraborty of Stories by Rabindranath Tagore fame, who plays Tikli in the film, is thrilled that her first Hindi feature will have its first public screening in her hometown. “The festival is special for me. I remember visiting KIFF in 1998 with my mother Satarupa Sanyal when her film Anu was screened there. I’d frequent the festival as a film student too. Now, I’m excited to see how our film will be received,” quips Chitrangada.

Featuring other renowned actors namely Suchitra Pillai, Upendra Limaye and Saharsh Kumar Shukla, the film aims to highlight some pertinent points, such as why sex work needs to be legalised in India, and why society would be better off if more women ran cooperatives by and for women. Besides also being an official selection at the Jaipur International Film Festival 2018, Tilki and Laxmi Bomb is also the only Indian film at the New Zealand Asia Pacific Film Festival.

What the film is about...
The independent film is based on the book by the same name, written by Aditya Kripalani himself. “For sex workers, since practising prostitution is still illegal in India, they are the worst affected by patriarchy. There’s no recourse to seek justice from the law, which is why men are able to exploit the situation. While I wanted to write and tell a story that’s anti-patriarchy, I did not want for it to be set in our social milieu, where it can still be dealt with. So, it only made sense to tell the story through the eyes of sex workers,” says Aditya, who studied screenwriting at FTII. The film, currently doing festival rounds, has been crowd-funded.


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