Kalsubai
Yudhajit Basu / India / 2021 / 20 min / Colour
Kalsubai is a plateau in Maharashtra, India, but its name invokes more than just earth and rock. Kalsubai is also the name of the patron goddess of the Koli and a symbol of a female existence free from the oppression of a remote patriarchy that still exerts its influence today. A voice whispers its story to the wind, through the valleys, the forests and the faces of the mountain dwellers. Yudhajit Basu fixes his camera on the majestic profile of Kalsubai with a series of fixed planes showing daily life in the encounter between ancient and modern, struggle and tradition. The short film begins with a chorus of women crossing the images and leading us through paths, houses and ridges, transforming history into images, more alive than flames.
Yudhajit Basu
Yudhajit Basu is a screenwriter and director. He studied Film Direction at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and made his short film debut with Khoji, The Search (2016). After co-directing with Prithvijoy Ganguly The Outsider (2018) he made his latest short film Kalsubai (2021) in 2020, which was presented at Visions du Réel - Festival international de cinéma Nyon.
Credits
Screenplay Yudhajit BasuCinematography Rachit PandeyEditing Gourab MullickMusic Utsav GhoshProduction company Bhupendra Kainthola