APM - Asian Project Market

2023 Project

Logline

Apurva and Malati are happily married and madly in love, unabashed by what people in their small-town think. When an unfortunate incident turns their lives upside down, in hardship, just as in love, they refuse to conform to societal norms.

Synopsis

In a small town in Assam, India, Apurva, 30 is madly in love with his beautiful wife, Malati, 26. Apurva pampers Malati and supports her, even with the chores. Both are actors in a traveling theatre, and move from village to village performing from midnight to 4am. On the way back, they make love in the woods, away from the world. They buy an e-rickshaw, in which Apurva begins ferrying passengers during the day.
One day, Apurva catches a man staring at Malati while bathing, and chases him, along with the villagers. The man accidentally dies, and Apurva is jailed. Malati’s life is turned upside down, handling all the responsibilities and trying to secure Apurva’s release. Her biggest challenge is living without Apurva. Apurva’s sister-in-law (his brother’s wife) and others in the village gossip about Malati’s beauty being a curse for Apurva. Amidst all this Malati discovers that she is pregnant.
Out of work, she struggles to make ends meet. Apurva’s brother borrows the e-rickshaw. He pays her some of his earnings initially but then starts making excuses. Malati finds solace in her friendship with a community health worker who visits her because of her pregnancy. She discovers that Apurva’s brother has been ferrying passengers in the e-rickshaw but is not handing over her share of the profits, and fights to get it back.
Is Malati capable of riding the e-rickshaw herself? How will she cope with all her struggles, with no sign of Apurva’s release? In such a state, how does she feel about bringing a child into the world?

Director's Statement

Coming from a small town in Assam, India, I have observed the people, the culture, the nature, and every aspect of life in this part of the world. Through this film, I explore the love and life of a married couple living in a small town, who go against society’s perceptions about love, marriage, and the role of women. The film is a melting pot of contrasts; living on your own terms amidst society’s ideals, a happy world turned tragic, from having everything to being lonely, from love to longing, from leaning on a partner to finding strength within, the bright sides and the dark sides of rural life. I visualize this film as being realistic and organic, as well as artistic; playing with cinematography, production design and characters to create mood and an immersive film for audiences, and presented largely from a woman′s point of view.

Producer's Statement

I have directed and produced four features: Man with the Binoculars (2016), Village Rockstars (2017), Bulbul Can Sing (2018) and Tora’s Husband (2022). Three of these films had their world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival, two had their Asian Premiere at Busan International Film Festival and one was screened at Berlin International Film Festival, followed by theatrical releases and digital streaming.
The success of each film enabled funding for the next one. Having a co-producer for this film will help scale up the production values to realize my creative vision, improve marketing and distribution, and achieve better visibility on the international market. The script is in the development stage, and I have the core cast and crew in mind. As with our previous films, we aim to have a festival run, theatrical release, and OTT and TV deals for this film as well.

Director's Profile

Producer's Profile