Headstrong, feisty street dancer Rani works hard to care for her daughter while reclusive weaver Shahdab discovers a new world in his friendship with an Israeli tourist. Exploring the love and hate dimensions amidst the ancient city of Varanasi, their cultural and political identities come to the fore. Will the luminous fabric of our diversity soon turn into an iron curtain, dividing those who belong & those who don’t?
SYNOPSIS
Writer & Director: Ritesh Sharma
Produced by Hardhyaan Films
in association with Veda Film Factory
Producer: Visvesh Singh Sehrawat
Co-Producers: Sampat Singh Rathore, Abhinav Pareek & Ritesh Sharma
Director of Photography: Priyashanker Ghosh
Editor: Bhisma Pratim
Sound Design & Mix: Piyush Shah
Music Composer: Anjo John
Colorist: Shashank Jha
Megha Mathur - Rani
Muzaffar Khan - Shahdab
Sivan Spector - Adah
Utkarsh Srivastava - Baba
Roopa Chaurasiya - Pinky
Shweta Nagar - Shazia
Cast
"Stunning, breathtaking, disturbing, evocative. Jhini Bini Chadariya is a tour de force from Ritesh Sharma & his incredible team. Here is a filmmaker who takes you on a personal journey of pain, suffering & loss. One of the most evocative and hard-hitting films I have seen in a very long time."
Nikkhil Advani, Filmmaker
"My takeaway from Dharamshala film festival,2022 so far is Jhini Bini Chadariya. No pussyfooting about current Indian situation violently impacting people’s lives. More power to director Ritesh Sharma."
N.S Madhavan, Malayalam Writer
"Jhini Bini Chadariya is a brave piece of cinema that touches the heart, shakes up the mind and makes you go in deep thought about where we are as a country right now."
Anuradha Gakhar, Creative Director
"Jhini Bini Chadariya is a powerful debut. The film is a daring look on rarely known sides of Varanasi, bumping its culture beyond threats of conflicted faith to a devastating yet relevant social comment on endless cycle of suffering."
Daniel Irawan, Journalist
"Jhini Bini Chadariya (The Brittle Thread): First-time filmmaker Ritesh Sharma’s Jhini Bhari Chadariya is arguably one of the most politically charged films to be showcased at DIFF this year. Jhini Bini Chadariya is a debut to remember."
Paulomi Das (India Today)
"In a throwaway line, director Anurag Kashyap who was present at Dharamshala International Film Festival and has worked in Varanasi in the past, mentioned how moved he was by the depiction of the city in Sharma’s film as rotting yet brimming with life."
Prathyush Parsuraman (Film Companion)
"'Jhini Bini Chadariya' is a bleakly beautifully made film that pushes the boundaries of observational cinema. A raw and unfiltered glimpse into life in the city of Varanasi. No other Indian film will ever portray Varanasi as a bleakly beautiful character and therein lies the strength of Jhini Bini Chadariya and its unforgiving impact on the viewer. The style of filmmaking is really powerful as we not only see the characters but also the life around them. There is a lot of detail in every shot and viewing a wider shot in every scene elevates the viewing experience."
Prem (Talking Films)
"Very few films stay with you long after it's over. Jhini Bini Chadariya is one such film. This was a tough to watch. But a very important & brave film, especially in today's time. Thank you so much for ‘weaving’ the narrative so delicately and showing it how it is. I hope it releases in the theatres or on OTT platforms soon!"
Anonymous, via Instagram
"Hi Ritesh. I just watched Jhini Bini Chadariya and I am barely able to type this. It has left me shattered and broken but in a way that I needed too. It's so brave and innovative in its approach."
Anonymous, via Instagram
Jhini Bini Chadariya is a thought-provoking drama film that delves deep into the complexity of human emotions, leaving audiences captivated from start to finish. This movie takes the audience on an emotional rollercoaster exploring themes of love & loss of the human spirit.
Sarah, via Instagram
PREMIERE
BEST DEBUT FEATURE FILM
FCCI Award at the New York Indian Film Festival, 2022
BEST FEATURE FILM WITH SOCIAL IMPACT
Indo-German Film Week, 2023
BEST FEATURE FILM
Druk International Film Festival, 2022
BEST COSTUME AWARD
Supriya Das Gupta Award, Kolkata, 2022
SPECIAL JURY MENTION
Best Actress award (Megha Mathur)
at Bengaluru Bengali Kannada Film Festival, 2023
BEST ACTOR AWARD (Muzaffar Khan)
Indogma Film Festival,2022
BEST EDITING AWARD (Bhisma Pratim)
BEST ACTRESS AWARD (Megha Mathur)
International Film Festival of Ahmednagar
Frames of Freedom, Kolkata
IIT Kanpur, Kanpur
Soho House, Mumbai
Cinema House, G5A, Mumbai
Creative Adda, Mumbai
Sophia College, Mumbai
Kappanna Angala, Bangalore Film Forum, Bangalore
WORLD PREMIERE
34th Tokyo International Film Festival, Japan, 2021
INDIA PREMIERE
26th International Film Festival of Kerala, India
AWARDS
SCREENINGS
OFFICIAL SELECTION
2019 NFDC Film Bazaar recommends
22nd New York Indian Film Festival, USA
23rd UK Asian Film Festival, London
11th Dharamshala International Film Festival, India
13th Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, Australia
17th Tasveer South Asian Film Festival, USA
11th Indo German Film Week, Berlin
11th South Asian Film Festival, Montreal
6th Pame International Film Festival, Nepal
10th Nepal Human Rights Film Festival, Nepal
17th Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival, Indonesia
8th Kolkata People's Film Festival, Kolkata
3rd Habitat International Film Festival, Delhi
19th Abuja International Film Festival, Nigeria
10th Bakunawa Festival, Phillipines
Manatarang Film Festival, Mumbai
Anti-Fascism Film Festival, Kolkata
Indogma Film Festival, Faridabad
Something Like a Film Festival, Kathmandu
Bengaluru Bengali Kannada Film Festival, Bangalore
Lift-Off Filmmakers sessions @PinewoodStudios
Druk International Film Festival
