SRFTI graduates’ Malai makes it to the Indian Panorama of IFFI

After winning four international awards,

Malai

— a 14-minute short film — has made it to the Indian Panorama of International Film Festival of India (

IFFI

) 2018. The film has been directed by two Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (

SRFTI

) graduates —Sarmistha Maiti and Rajdeep Paul.

Excited about the development,

Sarmistha

said a few years ago they visited a marriage ceremony in Odisha. There they saw an age-old Odia marriage ritual, where women and children carry lights on their heads during the marriage procession. These lightbearers are always from the lowest strata of society. “Since then we wanted to make a film on this subject,” she added.

Producer Anjan Basu said that the film explores an incident in the life of a low-caste rural boy from Odisha, who attends the local political leader’s son’s wedding, along with his mother and two siblings. All of them go there with the hope of earning rewards. He was excited at the prospect of having a grand meal and especially, his favourite ice cream, referred to as ‘malai’ in the local dialect. But he soon discovers the dark side of the Indian wedding and caste system.

Basu, who was looking for young talents and fresh ideas to make experimental short films, had liked the pitch of this film. After six months of research, the duo completed their shoot in Odisha’s Soro. Shooting took just four days. The entire team of Malai is thrilled with the Indian Panorama selection. “Getting a ticket to the Indian Panorama has always been a dream. While shooting the film, we had a firsthand experience of the true reality of life in rural India. That has also shaped our vision as directors,” Paul signed off.