Prateek Shekhar
Chardi Kala - An Ode to Resilence
Optimism, Resilience, Steer Farmers to Make History
Year:
2023
Length:
96 min
Country:
India
Language:
Hindi/Punjabi
Director:
Prateek Shekhar
SYNOPSIS
In September 2020, the Indian government passed three agricultural laws aimed at liberalising the farm economy. Soon after, farmers from across the country gathered at the borders of India’s national capital, New Delhi, for one of the biggest non- violent protests in modern history. Expressing their concerns about the dangers of corporatisation of agriculture, farmers articulated detailed and nuanced criticism against what they believed were unjust laws. Over the year-long protest, the farmers slept and cooked on the national highway, braving extreme weather conditions and hostility from their government, until the laws were repealed. Chardi Kala (Eternal Optimism) follows the journey of the farmers’ protest until their victory.
about the director
After completing his Bachelors in Sociology from Delhi University, Prateek Shekhar did his Masters in Media and Cultural Studies from Tata Institute of Social Science, Mumbai. As part of his Masters, he co-directed two documentaries – Not Caste in Stone (2014) and Govandi, Crime aur Camera (2015) – which were screened at the Mumbai International Film Festival 2016; Astra Film Festival 2016, Romania and Urban Lens Film Festival 2016, New Delhi among others.
Prateek has assisted filmmaker and video artist Amar Kanwar on his films and video art installations Such a Morning (2017) and The Peacock’s Graveyard (2023).
Prateek’s documentary film Chai Darbari (2019) won the Best Short Documentary award at the 12th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK), India and was screened at numerous film festivals.
In 2023, Prateek’s debut feature length documentary Chardi Kala – An Ode to Resilience premiered and won Second Best Short Documentary Award at the 15th IDSFFK, India.
