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Logline

Asharu, a queer performer, lost custody of his only daughter after his wife committed suicide…he desires to reunite with his daughter one day.

Synopsis

Swadesh Singha, 25 years old, lives with his family in the quaint village Barapathuram jote which lies by the river Lachka. Swadesh is a travelling folk theatre performer and goes by the stage name “Asharu”. Asharu is a part of a travelling theatre troupe. In the Rajbanshi community, women are not allowed to partake in public performances. Some men, including Asharu crossdress as women and perform “Palagaan”, “Panchali gaan” “Bishohari gaan”, “Gomira Khela”. Asharu performs at several shows in the festive season and works as a daily wage labour at construction sites in the off season. Over time, He has become a passionate and devoted folk performer. Alongside, realisations surrounding various intersections of his identity dawned upon him. Asharu slowly started to realise that perhaps he is a transwoman. Asharu had been sexually inclined towards men since childhood but his homosexuality was closeted. There is very little awareness regarding LGBTQ+ identities in rural Bengal.
 
Asharu’s family and community believed that marriage would ‘remedy’ his gender identity. At 22, Asharu’s family arranged for his marriage. Soon after, they had a daughter. The birth of their daughter brought unparalleled tenderness into Asharu’s life. However, things start to fall apart when Asharu’s wife commits suicide. Asharu is deemed unfit to raise and rear a child by the society. His child is taken away from him by his in-laws. His family stands together to support him through this painful juncture of his life. Asharu grapples with the separation from his little daughter and hopes that one day they’ll be reunited. Asharu’s love for his daughter rekindles the love between his family and him, it bridges the distance that was created between them by weighty cultural expectations of his community. This film is an intimate portrait of Asharu’s indomitable spirit against all odds.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Buddhadeb Barman – Director/Producer
Buddhadeb Barman is an emerging filmmaker hailing from Siliguri in West Bengal State of India. He did his Master’s in Film Studies from Jadavpur University, Kolkata City, India. Buddhadeb, through his films, tries to document his people. He belongs to the Rajbanshi Tribe situated in the North-eastern region of India. Buddhadeb wants to tell stories about his community, their culture, politics and the relationship of the community with Nature. He has directed a feature film, a documentary and many short films.

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Contact

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