Jhilli (transl. Discards) is a Bengali language film written and directed by Ishaan Ghose in 2021 and produced by Goutam Ghose Associates.[1][2][3][4] The film is about a boy named Bokul who resolves to make changes in his life after realizing that most of his friends are leaving him behind in the debris of discards.[5]
| Jhilli | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Ishaan Ghose |
| Written by | Ishaan Ghose |
| Produced by | Goutam Ghose Ishaan Ghose |
| Starring | Bitan Biswas, Shombhunath De, Sayandeep Guha, Aranya Gupta, Sourav Nayak |
| Cinematography | Ishaan Ghose |
| Edited by | Ishaan Ghose |
| Music by | Soumajit Ghosh, Rajarshi Das |
Release date |
|
Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Bengali |
| Budget | 5,000,000 |
Plot
editBokul, a fourth-generation manual laborer, toils in the largest trash yard in Kolkata at a facility that crushes bones. He makes the most of his existence in his environment while being unaware of his difficulties. He has no idea that the outside world is transforming quickly and preparing for a new economic boom. His entire world was exchanged for a recreation area.[6][7]
Cast
edit- Bitan Biswas as Ganesh
- Shombhunath De as Shombhu
- Sayandeep Guha as Guddu
- Aranya Gupta as Bokul
- Sourav Nayak as Chompa
Production
editThe film was shot with a Sony a7sii camera and one lens – a Canon 16-35mm – on a hand-held stabilizer. With the lack of sound equipment, the sound was recreated completely in post-production with Aneesh Basu, which took a year during the pandemic. This was a self-funded production which had no shooting script and was heavily improvised.[8]
Awards
edit| Year | Awards | Category | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Kolkata International Film Festival | International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images
Best Film | Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award |
Won | [9][10][11] |
| 2022 | Mammoth Lakes Film Festival | INT'L Narrative Feature | Honorable Mention | [12] |
| 2023 | 69th National Film Awards | |||
| 2023 | Torino Film Festival | Premier | ||
| BFJA | 2023 | Best Debut Director, Best Cinematography | ||
| Filmfare Award | 2023 |
Reception
edit- There is hardship and suffering, but there is also a sense of belonging that is unmatched elsewhere. Nothing about Jhilli is fictitious. The existence of those among us who have been stripped off their identities and denied access to necessities of life. In this film, the protagonists are denied the opportunity to discover who they are. Instead, all they want is to live.[13]
- Ghose's film reveals a delirious and slurred story of a group of pals that drift in and out of each other's lives as they try to earn a livelihood from Dhapa or come up with wacky escape plans that are doomed to failure in this dystopian terrain.[14]
References
edit- ^ "TWO BENGALI FILMMAKERS WIN BIG AT KIFF". explorescreen.com. 10 May 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Jhilli () - Review, Star Cast, News, Photos". Cinestaan. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ Yalala, Sridhar. "Bengali film Jhilli' wins best film award". The Pynr. Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ NYOOOZ. "Bengali film 'Jhilli' wins best film award in KIFF international section | Kolkata NYOOOZ". NYOOOZ. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ Chatterji, Shoma A. (27 May 2022). "Budding Filmmaker Ishaan Ghose on his First Film Jhilli - Shoma A. Chatterji". TheSpace.Ink. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ "Film card". Torino Film Fest. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ Discards (in French), retrieved 25 October 2022
- ^ Ramnath, Nandini (11 May 2022). "Bengali film 'Jhilli' provides a scorching view of life in the dumps". Scroll.in. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ "Kolkata International Film Festival". kiff.in. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ Indiablooms. "Ishaan Ghose's Bengali film Jhilli bags best film award in international category in 27th KIFF | Indiablooms - First Portal on Digital News Management". Indiablooms.com. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ "The winners at KIFF this year, an eclectic mix of surprises". Get Bengal. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ Jhilli | Official Trailer | Ishaan Ghose | Goutam Ghose | An SVF Release, 4 November 2022, retrieved 14 November 2022
- ^ Banerjee, Aniruddha (13 July 2022). "Jhilli Discards 2021 Critical Analysis: A fault line within the shadows". Cinemamonogatari. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ "Gardeners in the Wasteland: On Ishaan Ghose's Jhilli (Discards)". www.asapconnect.in. Retrieved 25 October 2022.