T for Taj Mahal (Feature Film), Tara Versus (Short Film)

About the Film

Bajjar, a village 60 km away from Agra (city of the great Taj Mahal), of complete illiterates with no school. However, Bansi wants to change that for his younger brother Nanhe and the other kids. He starts a successful eatery ‘TAJ MAHAL DHABA’ by the highway. He stumbles upon a unique idea to ask customers for their time to teach the village kids instead of paying money for the food. After a bit of struggle, tourists start teaching the kids in his make shift dhaba-school. An American tourist and Sociology graduate– Janet Wright is drawn towards this unique social enterprise and decides to stay in Bajjar for a few weeks. She fixes the curriculum of the haphazardly run school and empowers the villagers. Enriched with Bansi’s magnanimity, she leaves Bajjar. Just when Bansi’s dhaba-school seems to be doing well, his ‘EAT AND TEACH’ plan runs into great opposition. A new, swanky, air-conditioned restaurant just 1km away springs up almost overnight completely cutting off all tourist customers. Bansi confronts the restaurant owner, but gets beaten up by the guards. He is forlorn at the loss of his “tourist teachers”. The shutting down of Bansi’s dhaba-school becomes a rallying point for the villagers, who are determined to revive it at any cost. They decide to fight back by wooing back their coveted tourist customers. The new, reinvented Dhaba is ethnic and beautiful, attracting tourists of all hues to get a taste of the “real India”, thereby also reviving the school.

Cast: Bidita Bag, Subrat Dutta

Director: Kireet Khurana

Acclaimed award-winning animator – Kireet Khurana studied animation & Film making from Sheridan College, Canada. He currently is the CreativeDirector of leading studio Climb Media India Pvt Ltd. (www.climbmedia.com), having executed many successful ad campaigns, show packaging and has a thorough and in-depth knowledge of Animation Art and History.

He has Won 5 President’s National Awards and 3 International Awards including Japan and Austria. Also Won 15 Awards in various festivals in India and abroad. He is the director and co-writer for feature film “Toonpur ka Superhero” starring Ajay Devgan, Produced by Big Screen and Eros. It was India’s 1st live-action and 3D Animation combination film. He has directed award-winning shorts on Child Rights for National Film Board of Canada coproduced with UNICEF for prestigious ‘Rights From The Heart’ series. Creator, Director and Screenplay Writer for the Award-Winning animation series – ‘Adventures of Chho ta Birbal’ which was aired on Cartoon Network (2003). Chhota Birbal has the distinction of being the 1st Indian animated character to be licensed. Also, EP & Co-Director for the live-action feature film ‘Laadli’ (Children’s Film Society,India).

About the Film

A struggling comedian has a hard time seeing the funny side of things when her career stagnates while her best friend gets a promotion.

Cast: Aditi Vasudev, Shikha Talsania

Director: Ayesha Anna Ninan

Ayesha Anna Ninan is a filmmaker in Mumbai, India.  She began her career as an editor on theatrical film trailers. She has gone on to write and direct her own short films in India, Singapore and Vietnam. In addition, she has served as producer and editor on short films, music videos, and commercials across Southeast Asia. In her spare time, she has taught short courses on editing, and reviewed films for a newspaper. She holds a BA in Media Studies and Sociology from the University of Virginia and an MFA in Film Production from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts Asia.