Shashwati Talukdar

Bachpan: The Girl

Oblique, eerie and mysterious, 'The Girl' is about the violence and horror of childhood. The Girl lives in an isolated mansion in the woods in the mountains of India, with a woman, the 'Mad Lady.' This woman is her caretaker and watches her all the time. Their odd life is disrupted when the Mad Lady can see something she was previously oblivious to. Inspired by Indian Gothic greats like 'Mahal' from the forties and the European avant-garde films from the twenties, 'The Girl' is a gothic tale about the resilience of children.

Bachpan: The Girl

Oblique, eerie and mysterious, 'The Girl' is about the violence and horror of childhood. The Girl lives in an isolated mansion in the woods in the mountains of India, with a woman, the 'Mad Lady.' This woman is her caretaker and watches her all the time. Their odd life is disrupted when the Mad Lady can see something she was previously oblivious to. Inspired by Indian Gothic greats like 'Mahal' from the forties and the European avant-garde films from the twenties, 'The Girl' is a gothic tale about the resilience of children.

Marriage Cops

Marriage Cop is a feature-length documentary that examines the state of marriage and family relationships in contemporary India through the eyes of a police officer whose assigned duty is to help settle marital disputes at the Women’s Help Desk in Dehradun. A counterpoint is provided by the stories of the women who go to the Help Desk seeking relief from domestic troubles -abusive spouses, deadbeat dads, and interfering mothers-in-law- the Help Desk sees it all. Will these women resolve their marital woes or will they wind up in divorce court? The first question that Marriage Cop raises is “Why are people going to the police for marriage counseling?”. But perhaps a better question is “Why do women want this?” The story of The Help Desk will challenge audiences′ preconceived notions -about India, about domestic violence, gender roles, and about the very notions of marriage- and what it means to help.

Please Don't Beat Me, Sir!

Over sixty million Indians belong to communities imprisoned by the British as "criminals by birth." The Chhara of Ahmedabad, in Western India, are one of 198 such "Criminal Tribes." Declaring that they are "born actors," not "born criminals," a group of Chhara youth have turned to street theater in their fight against police brutality, corruption, and the stigma of criminality — a stigma internalized by their own grandparents. "Please Don't Beat Me, Sir!" follows the lives of these young actors and their families as they take their struggle to the streets, hoping their plays will spark a revolution.