A FILM BY PRIY A RAMASUBBA N · Arvind K˜nn˜bir˜n A Parson's School of Design alum, Arvind...

A F I L M B Y

P R I Y A R A M A S U B B A N

To chase her dream of going to school in her remote Himalayan village, a feisty paraplegic

girl locks horns with her unyielding, tradition-bound grandfather.

“Priya Ramasubban makes an impressive directorial debut with Chuskit - a film that is visually stunning, has some winsome performances and a heartwarming narrative.”Shabana Azmi, Padma Shri awardee;Actor - Sparsh, Masoom

“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. A moving story well told by first-time director Priya Ramasubban that is abetted by a stellar performance

by first-time actor Jigmet Dewa Lhamo.”Freida Pinto, Actor - Rise of the Planet of the Apes,

Slumdog Millionaire

“Chuskit is inspired by heartwarming real-life events and is beautifully translated on screen. It makes for a meaningful & inspiring watch.”Vivek Rangachari, Founder - DAR Motion Pictures; Producer - Lunchbox

PRAISE FOR THE FILM

SYNOPSIS

Sprightly Chuskit’s dream of going to school 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, Dorje. Chuskit continues to harbor hopes

of school but Dorje tries to make her understand that school can’t handle

her needs. As life at home gets harder, her battle with her grandfather

exacerbates. Caught in between their struggle are Chuskit's parents

and her enterprising brother who want to respect the old world

views that Dorje represents, but also want to keep Chuskit's spirit alive.

Chuskit will have to get her grandfather to yield or she will have to accept the

reality he has chosen for her.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

Conversations with my sister, Vidya, sowed the seeds for my film ‘Chuskit’.

Vidya has worked with the differently abled in Ladakh for almost a decade.

She was instrumental in sending Sonam, a nine-year-old with cerebral palsy

to school despite the arduous terrain in her remote Himalayan village. While

working with Sonam, Vidya learnt of other such children who yearned to

lead as normal a childhood as they could. Their stories were filled with

pathos and hardships, yet not one of the children gave up their quest to go

to school. That is why I shaped Chuskit’s character to be unrelenting and

gave her the spunk to triumph over adversity. For most children outside the

West, life as a differently abled person is tough at best and excruciatingly

hard at worst. My wish is that a small measure of hope and inspiration stays

with the audiences when they walk away from my film.

FAQ’s

• Shooting in Ladakh must have been a challenge. How was your experience?

As a documentary filmmaker who has shot in various high-pressure locations like the Gaza Strip, Northern Nigeria, and Patagonia, I find challenging environments very stimulating. And besides, unique subcultures that most people don't know about fascinate me.

• Why did you choose to shoot in the local language of Ladakh?

We never ask why a film is shot in Hindi or Tamizh if it is set in those states! India is a wonderfully diverse country with a larger

number of languages and dialects thatexist within many varied cultures. To make everything homogeneous is tragic, to say the least.

• You have mainly cast local actors. How did you find your lead character Chuskit?

My sister, Vidya had lived in Ladakh for almost a decade so she has a lot of friends there. One of her close friends, Chetan Anghuk, conducts theatre workshops in schools and communities and knew of lots of children who were interested in theatre and acting. We did a casting workshop with many of those children and Dewa Lhamo, our lead actor, stole our hearts by a long shot.

• Was it hard to make this film as a first time, female, feature film director?

I knew that no one would readily come forward to invest in the movie since this was my first attempt at making a feature

film. So, I raised nearly US$100,000 during

a month-long crowdfunding campaign and made a trailer to show investors a glimpse of the movie. Those who saw it and read the script teared up. And yet... there were no takers.

As a female director, I think it was largely expected that I would be more malleable and willing to change things at producers’ insistence while making my first feature film. But I always knew that having a young girl living in a remote village in Ladakh and keeping the language of the film- Ladakhi - were part of the soul of the film and I stayed true to those, despite being told to opt for more ‘popular’ choices. I decided that breaking into the boys club of filmmaking and making the film I wanted to make was a challenge to be taken head-on. And here I am!

• Why is the cause of disability so important to you?

The film is inspired by my sister's work with the differently abled in Ladakh. Initially, it was the simple story ofresilience that attracted me towards the cause. But soon after I made the trailer, my mother was diagnosed with a terminal illness that rendered her wheelchair bound. The film was on hold as my focus shifted to her health. Seeing her life become more insular because of the lack of accessibility around her propelled

me further to make this film... after a three-year hiatus.

• What do you want your audience to take away from the film?

I hope that those who watch the film find Chuskit’s tenacity within themselves. Whether you are a woman trying to break into the predominantly male world of filmmaking or a paraplegic girl who wants to go to school, it takes unrelenting perseverance to get to where you want to go. And a few people who are willing to help you along the way. I'm hoping that more people - women especially - will open doors for themselves and others to get to where they want to be.

Priya Ramasubban is a reputed filmmaker who has traveled the world forover fifteen years making films for National Geographic, Discovery, HistoryChannel and other major international broadcasters. She is a storyteller atheart and has the ability to deal with complex subjects in a nuanced wayallowing for textured interpretation. She has written and directed Lost Kingsof Israel (National Geographic), Divine Delinquents (National Geographic),several episodes on the long-running series Digging for the Truth (HistoryChannel), episodes on the series Into the Unknown (Discovery Channel),an episode on Monster Fish (National Geographic) and several others notable productions. Priya was one of the six people chosen from all over India as a part of a screenwriter’s lab organized by the National Film Development Corporation where she recieved an opportunity to evolve her story for Chuskit under the mentorship of award-winning

Dutch writer Jolein Laarman.

DIRECTOR’S BIO & FILMOGRAPHY

Director of PhotographyArvind Kannabiran

A Parson's School of Design alum, Arvind Kannabiran has been working in the advertising and feature film industry for more than 25 years in both America and India. His feature film credits as a Director of Photography include 'NH10', 'Anarkali of Aarah', 'Manorama Six Feet Under', 'Loins of Punjab Presents' and 'My brother, Nikhil'.

EditorJabeen Merchant

Jabeen Merchant has been editing films for 23 years. Her well known work includes commercial releases like 'Manorama Six Feet Under', ‘Khamoshi: The Musical’, 'NH10' and 'Anaarkali of Aarah' as well as indies like 'The President Is Coming' and the National Award winning children's film 'Chhutkan ki Mahabharat'.

Sound DesignP.M. Satheesh

A graduate of the National Film & Television Institute, Satheesh has worked on numerous documentaries for BBC, National Geographic, etc. as well as several feature films including ‘Mangal Pandey’, ‘Fakir of Venice’, and ‘Baahubali’. Satheesh also won a National Award for Best Sound Design on ‘Kumar Talkies’.

Aradhana is a filmmaker, visual artist and designer. Her production design credits include 'Angry Indian Goddesses', 'Don', 'Easy', 'Earth' and 'Fire'. As an Art Director she has worked on 'London Has Fallen (India)', 'The Darjeeling Limited', 'The Bourne Supremacy' and 'Stiff Upper Lips (India)'. She has directed/produced over 18 documentary films including ‘DAM/AGE’ and ‘A Suitable Boy’ for the BBC with Arundhati Roy and Vikram Seth.

Production DesignAradhana Seth

CREW CREDITS

Director of PhotographyArvind Kannabiran

Production DesignAradhana Seth

Produced byPriya Ramasubban

MusicMathias Duplessy

Costume DesignDeepali Kosta Kabi

EditorJabeen Merchant

Sound DesignSatheesh PM

CAST CREDITS

Norbu (Neighbour)Tsetan Angchok

Angmo (Chuskit's friend)Stanzin Ngidon

Deskit (Chuskit's friend)Yanchen Dolma

ChuskitJigmet Dewa Lhamo

Dorje (Grandfather)Morup Namgyal

(Padma Shri)

Tsering (Mother)Yanchen Dolma

Stobdan (Brother)Padma Chospel

Ahmad (Doctor)Satyadeep Misra

Sonam (Father)SS Wangchuk

SPECIFICATIONS

Image ratio2.35:1 to 2.4:1

Sound5.1/7.1 Surround

Trailerwww.chuskit.com/trailer

Shooting format6-8K Raw

Screening format2K DCP

Duration90 Minutes

LanguageLadakhi

Written and Directed byPriya Ramasubban

ACCOLADES

‘'CHUSKIT" a KAAVYA FILMS production in association with WISHBERRY | produced by KAAVYA FILMS PVT LTD / FILMSTOC PVT LTD / VICTORY MEDIA / BLUE WATERS MOTION PICTURES / LXL IDEAS / ROCKSTUD CAPITAL LLC / GOLDEN CINEMA / INDIVILLAGE RURAL BPO / AMBER DALAL / GESU KAUSHAL | JIGMET DEWA LHAMO | MORUP NAMGYAL | STANZIN IDGA | PADMA CHOSPHEL | YANGCHEN DOLMA | SONAM WANGCHOK | SATYADEEP MISRA casting TSETAN ANGCHOK music MATHIAS DUPLESSY costume designer DEEPALI KOSTA KABI editor JABEEN MERCHANT sound designer PM SATHEESH production designer ARADHANA SETH director of photography ARVIND KANNABIRAN producers NAMRATA GOYAL | A.V.T. SHANKARDASS | GULAB SINGH TANWAR | SYED SULTAN AHMED | ABHISHEK AGARWAL | HASSAN | RAVI MACHANI | AMBER DALAL written,

produced and directed by PRIYA RAMASUBBAN

© 2010 Kaavya Films Pvt Ltd ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Websitewww.chuskit.com

Thankful for the support of

[email protected]

+91 83 69 754440

ADAMBER DALAL

GESUKAUSHAL

LADAKHHimalayan Films

A FILM BY PRIY A RAMASUBBA N · Arvind K˜nn˜bir˜n A Parson's School of Design alum, Arvind...

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