Priya Ramasubban’s movie CHUSKIT is a warm hearted Ladhaki tale of resonance and sheer determination from India. The film revolves around the story of a feisty paraplegic girl who locks horns with her tradition-bound grandfather to chase her dream of going to school in her remote Himalayan village.
CHUSKIT sheds a light on the importance of acceptance and support that our society needs to provide the differently abled and guidance in growing up to become talented individuals. The film definitely does justice to bringing attention to the issue. Serving this purpose, the filmmakers decided to go on the market with a special offer about acquiring education rights for the international distribution market.
Young Chuskit has a very simple dream – going to school. Her dream is cut short when she is rendered a paraplegic after an accident. She’s confined to life indoors in the company of her strict grandfather, who tries to make her understand that school can’t handle her needs. As life at home gets harder, her battle with her grandfather intensifies. Caught between their struggle are Chuskit’s parents and her enterprising brother who wants to respect the old world views, but also want to keep Chuskit’s spirit alive.
In 2018, the film was awarded at festivals in Giffoni (Amnesty International Award), Mumbai (Half Ticket section) and Delhi (Smile Int. Film Festival). Actress Freida Pinto praised the film saying, “CHUSKIT is a story of triumph over adversity. It captures the pathos of life when lived with imposed limitations as well as the exhilaration that comes when those limitations are transcended.”
Now that education rights for CHUSKIT are available distribution conditions for education screenings can be discussed with Anshulika Dubey, anshulika@wishberry.in. An interview with director Priya Ramasubban will be published in the February issue of the ECFA Journal.