Tathagata Ghosh
whose previous short ‘Miss Man’ fetched accolades in its festival rounds is equally brilliant and expressive in his latest film ‘
Dhulo
’ which explores a constant confrontation to secure a life away from the claws of patriarchy and communal rift that destroys the basic idea of freedom. . It’s a story of a firebrand woman’s remarkable journey in a rural village engulfed in dirty politics. The young woman decides to stand up against the patriarchy and hate politics that has begun to infiltrate her rural Bengali village and threatens to destroy her way of life. The short film stars
Payel Rakshit
, Shimlli Basu,
Bimal Giri
and
Ali Akram
in key roles.
The young filmmaker has often said that he needed to make this film to send a message or statement to our society and when asked why he felt the urged Tathagata shared he had finished writing ‘Dhulo’ in the second half of 2019. “The mob lynching cases in India that had unfolded since the last few years, were giving me sleepless nights. The faces of the victims were haunting me. I could almost hear the cries of their families and relatives. It was a tough time for me and the only way I could vent my anger for a while was to write this screenplay. But then soon after, the
NRC CAA protests started and then I knew I had to make this film at any cost. That was the only way I could liberate myself emotionally. Cinema is one of the prime tools of resistance and hence I and my team gathered to make the film. I was horrified to see the incidents in our film coming true every day. We made the film almost in a state of trance. A trance of anger and pain! I put in my own savings and made it happen. If I didn't make this film, I would be a morally dead man. I hope the film creates a strong dialogue on the themes of religious discrimination, abuse against women, domestic violence and basic human rights violation,” explained the independent filmmaker while speaking about the hard-hitting short which is currently being screened online at the Bengaluru International Short Film Festival.
We asked him how the short film’s narrative resembles the current situation in India. “The incidents in the film are based on true events. The research was quite strong as I read and went through several accounts of testimonials of women, who have fallen prey to abuse. Be it domestic or sexual violence, the incidents will boil your blood. You can't help but shout internally in anger if you are a human with empathy. But what is more shocking for me is to see the events in the film becoming real every now and then. People are lynched and women are raped and burnt in the middle of the night without letting anyone know. We are all scapegoats like the characters in the film - scapegoats to the people in power, who only use us for vote banks. Humanity has taken a back seat. Someone somewhere in the country is dying because of their religious, gender, sexual or caste identity. I feel helpless and I wish I can do more,” adds Tathagata.
While ‘Dhulo’ has already received appreciation from every film festival it has traveled to, Tathagata has already started working on his next film. “My next is a drama called ‘Footprints’. It is a very personal film again as it is based on characters I see in my daily life and people I have seen while growing up. I have just finished scripting it. It is in fact one of the 15 international projects, selected for the prestigious Pitching Lab of the 44th Drama International Short Film Festival in
Greece
, which is among the leading film festivals in Europe. The lab is taking place from 12th-17th September, where I will be mentored and workshopped and will get an opportunity to present the project to some of the leading European producers and distributors,” signs off the talented filmmaker.
Start a Conversation
Post comment