Berlinale | Indian cinema beyond Bollywood
Harsh Reality of Life on the Fringes

The films “Vaghachipani”, “Baksho Bondi” and “Village Rockstars 2” provide a realistic glimpse of life among the economically disadvantaged in India.

For years, Berlinale has been the place to discover independently produced Indian films, far from the mighty long shadow cast by Bollywood star power. The festival has trained such voices through the “Berlinale Talents” programme, helped them find, and connect with, producers from around the world, and has provided a platform for them. The 75th edition is no different! This year’s feature film picks – in Bengali, Assamese and Kannada languages - do not disappoint. Vaghachipani, Baksho Bondi and Village Rockstars 2 will delight audiences in the Generation 14plus, Perspectives and Forum sections.

• Vaghachipani (Tiger’s Pond), written and directed by Natesh Hegde in the Forum section is a Kannada film, set in the dense forests of rural Karnataka, and follows the lives of villagers mired in superstition and caste-based discrimination. With a touch of magical realism and tropical melodrama, Hegde frames the film as a socio-realist drama. 
• Baksho Bondi (Shadowbox) is a domestic drama in Bengali, directed by Tanushree Das with assistance from Saumyananda Sahi, who also wrote the screenplay. The film is set on the fringes of Kolkata’s suburbs, turning into a captivating thriller when the film’s leading protagonist, Maya, played persuasively by Tillotama Shome, discovers her husband may have committed a crime. 
• The third film, Village Rockstars 2, is more personal than political. Accomplished indie director Rima Das’ Berlinale contribution is a film that delves into the lives of economically backward sections of society in rural Assam. Das’ camera does not mince visuals: Whether it’s showing environmental destruction, land grabs by mafia-like elements, talented youngsters with too little to look forward to, or the lack of proper medical care for the poorest of society. 

All three movies through fictitious, thrilling and fun entertainment, follow a social-realist theme. However, even though the broader theme of these films may be identical, each director shows a different vision for their film. Given that these stories take place in different parts of India, audiences experience a cross-sectioned view of the country and its society.

Vaghachipani (Tiger’s Pond)

Opening in dreamy sequences Vaghachipani deftly captures the essence of a tropical forest – gigantic deciduous trees, rock pools, and craggy peaks. But for all its haunting beauty, there is something broodingly sinister underneath the surface, in the village of Vaghachipani. Tiger sightings are often and it’s not uncommon for a villager to be dragged off by a tiger for a midday meal. However, the threat does not necessarily stem from the fact that the villagers live under the constant threat of a human vs. animal conflict. 
  The story initially focuses on Pathi, a speechless girl with gorgeously marble-coloured eyes and a dense head of lush dark hair. She is an orphan, lives her life caring for cows, and eats the scraps of her rich employer’s kitchen. But when it is revealed that Pathi may have been the victim of a sexual assault, a kind villager files a complaint with the police. The investigation spirals into a powerplay, entangling the politically ambitious, feudal landlord of the village, who houses Pathi. And then, there is the landlord’s brother, who is in love with his driver’s sister, seemingly unreachable as she belongs to a lower caste.

With visually arresting sequences and a flawless score, Vagachipani serves up a perfect cocktail of drama and suspense in rural Karnataka, where the flesh-hungry tigers that roam the land, can easily be read as metaphors for the rich and power-hungry politicians, who rule the land. 

Baksho Bondi (Shadowbox)

Maya’s life is not very different from the many women who share her socio-economic status in Kolkata. She works backbreaking jobs, cleans houses and irons clothes for a living. With an unemployed husband who suffers from unresolved PTSD and an ambitious, school-going teenage son, she is the breadwinner of the family. Setting off in her rusty bicycle every day, she submits job application after job application for her husband, who never turns up to interviews. She cleans and mops floors in rich households, and cares for her family in every way possible.
  Played by the veteran star of independent films, Tillotama Shome, Maya’s character is the cynosure of the story, adeptly carried by Shome’s mighty talent. Maya’s unshakable love and commitment for her husband come from her belief that the family is a unit. No disadvantage of any scale is deemed unresolvable. Despite being burdened by her many responsibilities, Maya is portrayed as a woman with agency.

The movie presents the entirely relatable story of a woman, stuck exasperatedly in the rut of a system, with no help from the state, or her own family. Berlinale 2025 might just be the beginning of this film’s festival journey. Baksho Bondi has the potential to travel around the globe on its rusty bicycle and go far at home in India.

Village Rockstars 2 

Village Rockstars 2 is a bittersweet sequel to director Rima Das’ original film of the same name. It retains the thoughtful sensibilities of Das’ filmmaking: Lingering shots of vignettes of village life, meditative silences and sublime scenes of mother-daughter love. Stripped bare of cinematic gimmicks, it is a realistic film at its core, letting its actors be, and making the viewer feel like they are a fly on the wall of an Assamese village. Its storyteller has the marks of a true auteur. 
  The movie follows Dhunu, years after she has started a band. Dhunu’s reality has changed – her mother has fallen sick; she must work menial jobs on top of her band duties; and the emotional responsibility of caring for her unruly brother has fallen on her. Amid these taxing circumstances, as the trials and tribulations of real life overpower her ambition, Dhunu sees her rockstar dreams dissipate before her eyes. 

Despite the pathos, director Rima Das avoids kitschy sentimentality and offers the audience a dispassionate glance at what life is like, on the margins, for so many in rural India. It’s a heartbreaking sequel; feel-good it is not.

Yet, like all Indian films at the 75. Berlinale, the movie resolutely proves that profound stories can stand up to big stars and showy cinematic glamour.