The Mysterious Wedding Planner
It is said that our nation is a reality of two countries: 1. INDIA - The India of the 21st century, of gleaming malls, cloud piercing skyscrapers, expressways and air conditioned metro rails, of Engli…
The Mysterious Wedding Planner
It is said that our nation is a reality of two countries: 1. INDIA - The India of the 21st century, of gleaming malls, cloud piercing skyscrapers, expressways and air conditioned metro rails, of English speaking youth making their mark in the modern world And 2. BHARAT - Rural, agrarian, still bound to old traditions and cultural roots, lacking the basics of modern amenities and influences. Both are true and both exist and the nation continues its progress in slowly amalgamation the best of both worlds to create an India we all dream of. Our story is the story of a young tribal girl, Budhni, from rural India who has educated herself and aspires for the basic dignity of life in the 21st century. Budhni, our protagonist belongs to a community called "musahar", a term derived from "musah" meaning rat and "ahar" meaning food, the community is actually a poor tribal community that subsists on farm labor and rats, even to this day. No one knows Budhni's real age as mushars don't document the date of birth, but she is not more than 16 years old at the time of our story. She is one of the rarest in her community, male or female who excelled in primary government school and continued studying. But as her board exams approached, her family was far more concerned with getting her married. After all all girls even a year or two younger to her in her community were married. Budhni's dream of higher education is set to be quashed under familial and societal pressure, especially in an environment of patriarchal dominance. But she resists though it's more than clear that her forever drunk father will soon quash her resistance. Along some, Sugan, a young man who seems to love Budhni and wants her to continue studying after marriage. He seems to be enamored with the idea of an educated wife. Budhni sees the opportunity to keep her dream alive and also keep family and society happy and she agrees to his proposal. The fact that both her and sugans father work for the same feudal landlord, helps and they are married off with as much pomp as their families can dream off. The scale of the marriage itself is an indicator of how small people dare to dream in some segments of modern day India and provokes deep thought about the disparity between haves and have nots. It's not that people have different means and abilities, it's about the huge difference in dreams & dreams are supposed to be free. Sugan is surprisingly progressive and wants Budhni to continue studying but breaking the news to his family, esp his father will take some doing and time and with each passing day her board exams come closer. Now Budhni faces another problem, stuck at her inlaws for a while and not being able to go to school deprives her of the use of the schools toilet and she refuses to go to the fields to relieve herself like the other women of the community. The pre dawn culture of rural women of completing their daily ablutions in the fields or river banks inspires the name of the film, "BHOR" meaning dawn. BHOR also is a metaphor for a new dawn or the first ray of hope and that's what Budhni's struggle could mean for her community, esp it's women, a new ray of hope. Sugan temporarily solves the problem by making a makeshift toilet for her at home and it's a testament to the courage of this young, uneducated and untouchable man who's progressive thought can put many a educated city dweller to shame, that he Braves the snide comments from family and friends to do this for his wife. Sugans suggestion that his wife continue her education is finally made to his father and Sugan is rewarded by a literal kick up his backside that sends him sprawling into the mud of the farm they are working on, as they converse. But as per norms all important decisions are referred to the zamindar and he gets impressed by Budhni's ability to speak in english and commands them to let her study. Budhni appears for her board exams and top the district but the family doesn't realize the importance of her feat till they are summoned to the DMs office. A dazed Sugan and his father watch dumbfounded as the DM asks her what she wants and Budhni says she wants a toilet at home. The DM immediately sanctions the money. Now the story takes a turn, Sugan and his father who have never seen one tenth this amount in cash, blow it all up in a drunken celebration accompanied by a performance by a dancer, who is the dream of even the landlords and Budhni's dream of a toilet at home is crushed. She refuse to cow down and begins a fight that begins at her home, a tiny thatched one room mud Hut and ends in the capital and corridors of power in Delhi. Here Budhni is stunned to learn that her problem of dignity and sanitation is shared by many in the slums of Delhi and is a mission priority for the government. But there is the proverbial slip between the cup and the lip, the government desires but the multiple layers between the govt and the people are a black hole where dreams and good intentions disappear. What happens, does the first educated girl of her community bring boon or calamity, does the will and intent of a young girl break down centuries of neglect or is broken down by the wall of ignorance? The highlights of the film: u u Shot live in real locations in Bihar. u The main characters who are actors from Mumbai and Delhi theater, spent 2 months before filming, living on location to learn and understand the reality of the characters they were playing. u All the other actors are real musahars living there. u All costumes are real and locally sourced. u The one song performance in the film is shot in one go and the music has been recorded live on location. u 'Bhor' deftly captures the nuances and emotions that define the relationship between Budhni and Sugan. u Budhni was now fighting not only for education but also for sanitation. The story is a study in contrasts that exists within the society, as well as the similarities that are not limited within geographical bounds. The protagonist realizes the problem of inadequate sanitation facilities was something that not just existed in rural, but urban India as well, after she reaches the capital, Delhi. 'Bhor' is an attempt to see the reality of an unglamourised ignored forgotten race of people and a realization that their problems are sometimes exactly the same as ours, lack of respect for the dignity of a woman, basic sanitation and hygiene, the right to education for women and so much more. In this day and age of the #metoo movement, BHOR is a wakeup call, the struggle for dignity, education and rights of a woman is a lot more basic in the interiors of our nation and something that we so take for granted in our lives that we forget that it even exists.
The Mysterious Wedding Planner
Drama
Film Details
It is said that our nation is a reality of two countries: 1. INDIA - The India of the 21st century, of gleaming malls, cloud piercing skyscrapers, expressways and air conditioned metro rails, of English speaking youth making their mark in the modern world And 2. BHARAT - Rural, agrarian, still bound to old traditions and cultural roots, lacking the basics of modern amenities and influences.
Both are true and both exist and the nation continues its progress in slowly amalgamation the best of both worlds to create an India we all dream of. Our story is the story of a young tribal girl, Budhni, from rural India who has educated herself and aspires for the basic dignity of life in the 21st century. Budhni, our protagonist belongs to a community called "musahar", a term derived from "musah" meaning rat and "ahar" meaning food, the community is actually a poor tribal community that subsists on farm labor and rats, even to this day.
No one knows Budhni's real age as mushars don't document the date of birth, but she is not more than 16 years old at the time of our story. She is one of the rarest in her community, male or female who excelled in primary government school and continued studying. But as her board exams approached, her family was far more concerned with getting her married.
After all all girls even a year or two younger to her in her community were married. Budhni's dream of higher education is set to be quashed under familial and societal pressure, especially in an environment of patriarchal dominance. But she resists though it's more than clear that her forever drunk father will soon quash her resistance.
Along some, Sugan, a young man who seems to love Budhni and wants her to continue studying after marriage. He seems to be enamored with the idea of an educated wife. Budhni sees the opportunity to keep her dream alive and also keep family and society happy and she agrees to his proposal.
The fact that both her and sugans father work for the same feudal landlord, helps and they are married off with as much pomp as their families can dream off. The scale of the marriage itself is an indicator of how small people dare to dream in some segments of modern day India and provokes deep thought about the disparity between haves and have nots. It's not that people have different means and abilities, it's about the huge difference in dreams & dreams are supposed to be free.
Sugan is surprisingly progressive and wants Budhni to continue studying but breaking the news to his family, esp his father will take some doing and time and with each passing day her board exams come closer. Now Budhni faces another problem, stuck at her inlaws for a while and not being able to go to school deprives her of the use of the schools toilet and she refuses to go to the fields to relieve herself like the other women of the community. The pre dawn culture of rural women of completing their daily ablutions in the fields or river banks inspires the name of the film, "BHOR" meaning dawn.
BHOR also is a metaphor for a new dawn or the first ray of hope and that's what Budhni's struggle could mean for her community, esp it's women, a new ray of hope. Sugan temporarily solves the problem by making a makeshift toilet for her at home and it's a testament to the courage of this young, uneducated and untouchable man who's progressive thought can put many a educated city dweller to shame, that he Braves the snide comments from family and friends to do this for his wife. Sugans suggestion that his wife continue her education is finally made to his father and Sugan is rewarded by a literal kick up his backside that sends him sprawling into the mud of the farm they are working on, as they converse.
But as per norms all important decisions are referred to the zamindar and he gets impressed by Budhni's ability to speak in english and commands them to let her study. Budhni appears for her board exams and top the district but the family doesn't realize the importance of her feat till they are summoned to the DMs office. A dazed Sugan and his father watch dumbfounded as the DM asks her what she wants and Budhni says she wants a toilet at home.
The DM immediately sanctions the money. Now the story takes a turn, Sugan and his father who have never seen one tenth this amount in cash, blow it all up in a drunken celebration accompanied by a performance by a dancer, who is the dream of even the landlords and Budhni's dream of a toilet at home is crushed. She refuse to cow down and begins a fight that begins at her home, a tiny thatched one room mud Hut and ends in the capital and corridors of power in Delhi.
Here Budhni is stunned to learn that her problem of dignity and sanitation is shared by many in the slums of Delhi and is a mission priority for the government. But there is the proverbial slip between the cup and the lip, the government desires but the multiple layers between the govt and the people are a black hole where dreams and good intentions disappear. What happens, does the first educated girl of her community bring boon or calamity, does the will and intent of a young girl break down centuries of neglect or is broken down by the wall of ignorance? The highlights of the film: u u Shot live in real locations in Bihar.
u The main characters who are actors from Mumbai and Delhi theater, spent 2 months before filming, living on location to learn and understand the reality of the characters they were playing. u All the other actors are real musahars living there. u All costumes are real and locally sourced.
u The one song performance in the film is shot in one go and the music has been recorded live on location. u 'Bhor' deftly captures the nuances and emotions that define the relationship between Budhni and Sugan. u Budhni was now fighting not only for education but also for sanitation.
The story is a study in contrasts that exists within the society, as well as the similarities that are not limited within geographical bounds. The protagonist realizes the problem of inadequate sanitation facilities was something that not just existed in rural, but urban India as well, after she reaches the capital, Delhi. 'Bhor' is an attempt to see the reality of an unglamourised ignored forgotten race of people and a realization that their problems are sometimes exactly the same as ours, lack of respect for the dignity of a woman, basic sanitation and hygiene, the right to education for women and so much more.
In this day and age of the #metoo movement, BHOR is a wakeup call, the struggle for dignity, education and rights of a woman is a lot more basic in the interiors of our nation and something that we so take for granted in our lives that we forget that it even exists..