A stills from ‘Khilawadi’
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
In an early scene from Khilawadi, director Shobhita Thakur’s debut short film, 12-year-old Sapna stands outside a primary health centre, transfixed by a lady doctor through a window. The glance offers a glimpse into her aspirations, but the collective identity of her community stands between her and those dreams.Khilawadi premiered at the FascinAsian Film Festival in May, where it won the Audience Choice Award at the Calgary leg of the festival and the Best short film award at the Edmonton leg.The 26-minute film follows Sapna, a young girl from the Banchhada caste in Madhya Pradesh, a community known for its “tradition” of family-based sex work. As she grapples with caste identity, she also faces mounting family pressure to pay off debts through her own exploitation.
A still from ‘Khilawadi’
| Photo Credit:
