Four years ago, young migrant construction worker Mahesh had cycled two thousand kilometers alone, to return home during the first Covid lockdown. Now he finds himself the subject of a film being made about his epic journey. But what is he getting out of the film shoot? Blending fact and fiction, this film-within-a-film retells migrant workers’ tales while examining its own gaze. As the shoot comes to a close and Mahesh returns to the maze-like site of his construction job, the portrait of an endearing young man trapped in his condition emerges. He found himself caught in yet another cycle of disillusionment – navigating the fragile illusions of home, friendship and fame How will Mahesh escape this vicious cycle of disappointments?
India 2024, '61
DIRECTOR: Suhel Banerjee
SCENARIO: Gurleen Judge, Suhel Banerjee
CAMERA: Prateek Pamecha
MONTAGE: Suhel Banerjee
MUSIC: Vishesh Kalimero, Rahul Jigyasu
PRODUCERS: Teesta Setalvad
FESTIVALS & AWARDS:
IDFA: Best First Feature (2024)
Suhel Banerjee
Suhel Banerjee is an award-winning Indian filmmaker who locates his stories on the intersection of nonfiction and fiction, myth and reality - just like millions of his countrymen and women for whom this interplay is a way of life. His films have been shown in the ‘Envision’ competition at the International Documentary Film Festival of Amsterdam (IDFA), where it also won the ‘Best First Feature’ award, in International Competition at the Jeonju International Film Festival, New Directors New/Films organised by MoMA and Film at Lincoln Centre, ContorversialDox@ ZagrebDox, Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) and Indian Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK). He lives in Goa and is currently working on his debut novel.
