“Such is the condition of my people, and what kind of films do we make!” lamented Ritwik Ghatak, faced with the deprivations that mar the ordinary lives of his countryfolk. His cry was equal parts self-accusation and manifesto. “Good cinema,” he wrote, “cannot be divorced from life … It must move in step with the times. It must have its roots in the people.” Ghatak was perhaps South Asia’s pre-eminent practitioner of social realist filmmaking. Committed to seeing clearly the tolls of political modernity on the body, the psyche and the soul, his was a cinema grounded in the material contexts of our world. And yet, Ritwik remained a dreamer, in pursuit of what he considered the telos of his medium and, indeed, the aspiration of all human art: poetry.  

Asia Society India Centre returns with the second edition of Parda Faash, a two-day festival of films from and about South Asia, to be showcased together in Mumbai on 26-27 April 2025. Developed in collaboration with Film Southasia (the premier subcontinental non-fiction film biennial held in Kathmandu, Nepal) and NCPA, the festival brings together contemporary, non-fiction films from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The selected works coalesce around a shared theme: The Poetry of Presence.  

In an age where the value of life is increasingly dictated by the logics of capital and utility, where large segments of humanity are systematically devalued, misrecognised and deprived of their sense of self and meaning, The Poetry of Presence considers how everyday people and ordinary creatures cling to this world, resisting erasure and preserving little glimmers of beauty. Reaching for the tensions and contradictions at the heart of social and political life on the subcontinent today, these stories engage gender, queer ecologies, the precarious conditions of belonging (to land, to landscape, to nation) and the culture of cinema-going itself. Even as it reveals the structures of adversity that dot this land, the camera does not give into privileged despair. A better world is with us, it seems to say, in the care and the kinship practised by those long overlooked and on the ‘periphery’. It for us to recognise and act.   

Parda Faash aims to spotlight and celebrate the work of independent filmmakers and artists from around the subcontinent — the unique voices of young storytellers who believe in the transformative power of cinema in South Asia. Presented over two days at NCPA’s Little Theatre, the second edition of the festival features nine stunning films, hand-picked from Film Southasia ’24, that collectively offer a nuanced, moving portrait of South Asian identity in the present. 

Parda Faash is free and open to the public. To attend the screenings, we request you to register your interest by filling out this form.

SCREENING SCHEDULE

DAY 1 | 26.04.25 | SATURDAY

10:45AM

WAGGING TALE, dir. Samagra Shah | 23 mins | Nepal 

The story of Rupak, who walks the streets of Kathmandu carrying 80 kgs of chicken bones every day with an unwavering mission: to feed the city’s street dogs. The film follows Rupak’s journey, highlighting themes of love, loneliness, and the special connection between him and his four-legged companions in whose eyes he finds a glimpse of what he’s looking for: a family to call his own.

About the Filmmaker

Samagra Shah is a Nepal-based multimedia storyteller who is curious to understand the relationship we share with animals and nature. His interest in visual storytelling started with photography, which soon seeped into filmmaking as well. He uses both mediums as a way to feed his curiosity and to make sense of what he’s thinking and feeling. His debut short documentary film Wagging Tale received a Special Jury Mention at the Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival 2024. The film was also a recipient of the Toni Hagen Foundation Documentary Grant 2021. 

11:20AM

TRANS KASHMIR, dir. Surbhi Dewan, S A Hanan | 61 mins | India 

For generations, the transgender women of Kashmir have worked as matchmakers and performers. But their gender, economic and socio-political realities make them some of the most vulnerable people in the world today. Offering an intimate glimpse into their unique culture, resilience, and beauty, this documentary chronicles their growing movement to secure basic human rights. 

About the Filmmakers

Surbhi Dewan is an independent writer, director & producer. Her films connect personal portraits to larger socio-political landscapes. She is deeply committed to presenting unique perspectives and humanising ‘the other’ through her films. Her notable films include her recent award-winning films An Open Sky and Daughter of Nepal. Surbhi also produces social and commercial content with her New Delhi-based production company, Painted Tree Pictures.

Hanan is a television producer, director and an educator. He has produced and directed around 300 hours of television programs that include documentaries, short fiction films, public service announcements, and talk show series for various television channels. Hanan is a recipient of International Ford Fellowship (2007). He has taught television production as a guest faculty at various universities and institutes. 

12:25PM - 1PM

Post-Film Discussion: Care Ecologies, Queer Economies

A conversation featuring Samagra Shah, director of Wagging Tale; S. A. Hanan, co-director of Trans Kashmir; in dialogue with Mitu Varma, Director, Film Southasia.

2:00PM

SOMETIMES EVEN THE SHORE DROWNS, dir. Mahera Omar | 17 mins | Pakistan

Inspired by Rachel Carson’s 1955 book The Edge of the Sea, this short film is a cinematic ode to the myriad forms of marine life on the intertidal mudflats of Karachi. In and around mangrove forest creeks, amidst steaming vessels and a new skyline, the film takes you on a silent journey through a delicate wetland ecosystem on the shores of an industrial city that might soon disappear. 

About the Filmmaker

Mahera Omar is a filmmaker and co-founder of Pakistan Animal Welfare Society, a nonprofit that advocates biodiversity protection, environmental justice and compassion towards sentient beings. Her films have exhibited in Pakistan as well as at international film festivals including at Film South Asia, Istanbul International Architecture and Urban Films Festival and Delhi International Film Festival. Highlights of her filmography include Perween Rahman - The Rebel Optimist and the Dream Journey’s musical travelogues. With an abiding interest in Karachi, its environment, plants and animals that share the city with its 20 million inhabitants, she works to document ecosystems that shape Karachi today. 

2:20PM - 2:40PM

Post-film Discussion

A conversation featuring Mahera Omar, director of Sometimes Even the Shore Drowns, in dialogue with Pawas Manandhar, Assistant Director, Film Southasia.

2:50PM

HELLO GUYZZ!!, dir. Samiksha Mathur | 24 mins | India 

The film explores the life of a mother, wife, daughter who is also a TikTok and social media influencer. Based in a small town in West Bengal - Liluah - it aims to highlight how her social media engagement has a massive influence on her life- both in big and small ways. 

About the Filmmaker

Samiksha Mathur is an alumni of Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Kolkata and Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Delhi University. She has a special interest in exploring storytelling that exists at the intersectionality of gender, society and technology. She has recently represented India at the Tashkent International Film Festival and has completed her debut documentary short 'Hello Guyzz!'. 

3:30PM

6-A AKASH GANGA, dir. Nirmal Chander Dhandriyal | 80 mins | India

Can a musician exist without an audience? To find an answer, the film enters 6-A Akash Ganga, where resides one of India’s most renowned classical musicians, a matchless guru—Annapurna Devi. Maestros waited for years for her to accept them as disciples. George Harrison, of the Beatles, sought special permission to listen to her musical practice. But in the mid-1950s, she vowed never to perform in an effort to save her marriage to the world-renowned musician, Ravi Shankar, who had grown insecure with the acclaim she was receiving. Her disciple, Nityanand Haldipur, cuts through the myths to tell her story. 

About the Filmmaker

Nirmal Chander has worked in the field of non-fiction for the last three decades as an editor, director and producer. He has directed more than 10 documentaries and has over thirty editing credits. His films have travelled to many international festivals, winning multiple awards. Some of his films have been telecast on BBC Online and Indian TV channels such as NDTV and Doordarshan. He is the recipient of three National Film Awards from the President of India for excellence in cinema and his documentary Moti Bagh was an Oscar entry from India in 2019. 

4:50PM - 6PM

Post-film Discussion: Of Gender, Performed

A conversation featuring Nirmal Chander Dandriyal, director of 6-A Akash Ganga; Pt. Nityanand Haldipur, the film’s producer; in dialogue with Nandini Ramnath, film critic and reporter at Scroll.in.

6:15PM: SPECIAL SCREENING

BALA, dir. Satyajit Ray | 33 mins | India 

Co-produced by the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) and the Tamil Nadu government, this 1976 documentary is on the legendary Bharatanatyam dancer Balasaraswati, fondly known as ‘Bala’. Despite her decades-long career, this was her first film appearance. Hailed by Ray as “the greatest Bharatanatyam dancer ever”, the film blends narration and performance to explore her life and art. 

Script, Commentary and Direction: Satyajit Ray
Cinematography: Soumendu Roy
Editing: Dulal Dutta
Sound: S. P. Ramanathan, Sujit Sarkar
Music: Satyajit Ray

DAY 2 | 27.04.25 | SUNDAY
 

11:05AM 

CHARDI KALA - AN ODE TO RESILIENCE, dir. Prateek Shekhar | 95 mins | India

Amidst the indescribable spirit of eternal optimism, the many acts of selfless service and articulate criticism; the film ‘Chardi Kala’ chronicles the year-long farmers protest in India in 2020-2021 and explores the embodiment of resilience, grace and dignity in the face of apathy.

About the Filmmaker

After completing his Bachelors in Sociology from Delhi University, Prateek Shekhar did his Masters in Media and Cultural Studies from Tata Institute of Social Science, Mumbai. As part of his Masters, he co-directed two documentaries - Not Caste in Stone (2014) and Govandi, Crime aur Camera (2015) - which were screened at the Mumbai International Film Festival 2016; Astra Film Festival 2016, Romania and Urban Lens Film Festival 2016, New Delhi among others.  
Prateek has assisted filmmaker and video artist Amar Kanwar on his films and video art installations Such a Morning (2017) and The Peacock’s Graveyard (2023).  His documentary film Chai Darbari (2019) won the Best Short Documentary award at the 12th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK), India and was screened at numerous film festivals.

12:50PM

WHISPERS BY THE RIVER SHORE, dir. Samiur Rahman | 19 mins | Bangladesh

A compelling documentary that delves into the profound impacts of climate change on the lives of a family in the remote river island of Kurigram, Bangladesh. Through the lens of seven-year-old Rashedul and his resilient grandfather Amzad, the film explores the devastating consequences of recurrent floods, erosion, and displacement, painting a poignant picture of their struggle for survival and a better future.

About the Filmmaker

Samiur Rahman is a dedicated media and communication specialist with over eight years of experience in the field. Focusing on impactful storytelling, he excels in content writing, social media management, and strategic communications. He has a strong commitment to uplifting marginalized voices and addressing pressing social issues. His work aims to create lasting impact for underserved communities, fostering a more compassionate and sustainable world. With a Master’s in Media and Communication and a background in architecture, Samiur combines creative vision with a dedication to meaningful narratives. He believes in the power of storytelling to inspire change and is committed to using his skills to contribute to collective efforts for a better future. 

2:10PM

#GoHomeGota, dir. Sulochana Peiris | 51 mins | Sri Lanka

A look at Sri Lanka’s 2022 Aragalaya (struggle) protests from a movement building and mobilisation perspective and centres around interviews with several key core activists belonging to different ethnic, linguistic, and professional backgrounds. The leaders also discuss how they define and are working towards a “system change” which they envisioned to achieve through the movement.  

About the Filmmaker

Sulochana Peiris is a documentary maker, researcher, and writer who is currently based in Sri Lanka. She has over 20 years of exeprience making short videos and documentaries on women, peace, and security, conflict, war, peace-building, reconciliation, human rights, youth and more in Sri Lanka, as well as other South Asian and Southeast Asian contexts. Her latest documentary on Sri Lanka's 2022 protest movement premiered in Utrecht, the Netherlands during an academic conference organized by the University of Utrecht in June, 2023. Since then she also screened it at the University of Innsrbruck, Austria. 

3:05PM - 4PM

Post-film Discussion: Closer to Home

A conversation featuring Prateek Shekhar, director of Chardi Kala - An Ode to Resilience; Samiur Rahman, director of Whispers by the River Shore; and Sulochana Peiris, director of #GoHomeGota; in dialogue with Anand Patwardhan, a renowned documentary filmmaker.

4:05PM

CINEMA PE CINEMA, dir. Vani Subramanian | 63 mins | India

Creating a memory-scape of some people whose lives touch or have been touched by single screen cinemas in India, the film is an exploration of the many complex relationships between the theatres, the movies and us. 

About the Filmmaker

One-time advertising writer, Vani Subramanian has been a women's rights activist and documentary filmmaker since the nineties. Her work as a filmmaker explores the connections between our everyday practices, perceptions and prejudices, and the larger political questions confronting us – be they in the areas of culture, food practices and production, education, sectarian intolerance, sex selective abortions, or questions relating to justice and the death penalty. Her films have been screened and received awards, both nationally and internationally.  Presently she is the Creative Director of reFrame Institute of Art and Expression, an initiative that produces, mentors and disseminates artistic efforts that respond to contemporary challenges.

5:10PM - 6:15PM

Post-film Discussion: An Imperfect Cinema

A panel featuring Vani Subramanian, director of Cinema pe Cinema; Tanuja Chandra, filmmaker and writer; Neha Kaul, producer and go-to-market entertainment strategist; Svetlana Naudiyal, Programming Director - APAC at MUBI; and Naren Chandavarkar, composer, sound designer and film producer. Moderated by Suchin Mehrotra, film critic and journalist. 

In Collaboration with

Programme Partners

Special thanks to our cultural ambassadors Richa Roy, Amita Chauhan and Krupa Amin.