Janani’s Juliet

by Pankaj Rishi Kumar
India, 2019
53min

Stills aus Janani's Juliet,Pankaj Rishi Kumar

Kausalya lost her husband (Shankar), when they were attacked by her own family. They had married against their families wishes. Deeply disturbed by a spate of honor killings in India, Indianostrum, a Pondicherry based theatre group sets out to introspect the implications of caste, class and gender. They adapt Shakespeare's ‘Romeo and Juliet’. What emerges in the process is a critical reflection and commentary of the contemporary Indian society where love struggles to survive. Pankaj Rishi Kumar subtly keeps introducing the layers of complexity into the film by weaving-in the making of the play, “Chandala”. The dialogue between the theatre director and the actors to adapt the play into the Indian context works as a Greek chorus and keeps the viewer engaged. “You are Juliet’s messengers to me,” the director tells the women cast. As they dig deeper into their own psyche, we also question – why it was all about Romeo even in Shakespeare’s time. Why do we not know more about Juliet? … A poetic, political exploration of love (Kavita & Nandan--thehindu.com)

Pankaj Rishi Kumar | Director, Writer, Producer, Sound Design, Camera, Editing
Rajiv Mehrotra | Producer
C Vinayak Ram | Location Sound
Pritam Das | Sound Mixing


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10 October | 17:30