Starring Rajshri Deshpande, Gudgudi is a short film about the 2002 Gujarat riots that will be shown in Denmark’s Odense International Film Festival.
Gudgudi, set against the backdrop of the riots, tells a story of survival and resilience through the eyes of a mother and her daughter. Director Abhiroop Basu previously made shorts like Meal, Laali and Rhino Charge with Adil Hussain and Pankaj Tripathi respectively and Geetanjali Kulkarni. He began researching on the subject of Gujarat riot as several shocking things came out during research which forced him to create this short film.
Abhiroop said, “In my journey through archival material about the Riots of 2002 I chanced upon a news report stating that over 150 Hindu women were raped and killed as well. This revelation hit me like a ton of bricks: Women are not religious beings. They are just flesh. And this became the very lens through which I wanted to revisit the riots and share this incredible true story.”
Rajshri Deshpande was touched by his approach to telling this story. Speaking about why she chose to support the movie, she said “I liked Abhiroop’s point of view, that he got rid of all unnecessary noise and decided to focus on a human story of survival against all odds The fact that he chose to tell it from a woman’s perspective about Riots makes it fresh, urgent, and all the more relevant today”
This year alone saw OFF receive an unprecedented number of submissions surpassing 4200 from across forty nations including those within Europe for consideration as Oscar qualifying films. However among 148 selected films for competition; Gudgudi is India’s solo entry.
The cast include Akash Sinha, Chetan Sharma, Kuldeep Sareen, Shayree Sarkar etc in Gudgudi. Gudgudi will be screened on the 27th, 29th and 31st of August (OFF), providing a heart-rending and timely reflection about women’s vulnerability to violence and the strength they have to muster for survival.
