Thodi Si Khushi (A Bit of Happiness)
A househusband and his trans-person partner discover happiness at the end of their miserable day with the assistance of care and affection for each other.
A handicapped man and a trans-person are living together as a couple. The guy faces several difficulties as a result of his physical impairment, and the trans-person faces numerous challenges as well. The film, Bit of Happiness (Thodi Si Khushi), highlights a rough and tragic incident of their routine day. However, when they come together and express their love and concern for one another via their deeds, they find a bit of happiness, which gives them the strength to face life's challenges and go forward with a positive outlook.
Film "Thodi Si Khushi - A Bit of Happiness", breaks the preconceived notion of normalcy. It is a story about a couple, made of a man and a trans person. The kick is the transperson is working and running the house, whereas the man is a house-man.
Typical Indian family system is mostly patriarchal and the film attempts to break that system by showing a trans-person as a house-running person.
It also try to burst the taboo around a relationship with a trans-person.
The film attempts to see a trans-person with a fresh gaze, by avoiding the sympathy, which helps the character to stand strong.
The film also attempts to show a trans-person in an unorthodox way. Mostly, a trans-person is shown as a sex-worker, dancer or beggar. This ugly and pitiful representation is avoided in this film.
I many ways, film try to redefine the normalcy and empower the trans-person community in a context of typical Indian orthodox and patriarchal society.
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Ashish MadurwarDirectorNagraj In Mumbai, Doranga
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Ashish MadurwarWriterNagraj In Mumbai, Doranga
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Ashish MadurwarProducer
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Padmnabh BindKey Cast"Baalu"Shree Partner, 1 te 4 band
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Vijaya LakshmiKey Cast"Rani"Darbar
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Project Title (Original Language):Thodi Si Khushi (A Bit of Happiness)
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Project Type:Short
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Runtime:14 minutes 33 seconds
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Completion Date:March 20, 2022
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Production Budget:1,490 USD
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Country of Origin:India
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Country of Filming:India
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Language:Hindi
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Shooting Format:Digital 4k
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Aspect Ratio:1.85:1
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Film Color:Black & White and Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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13th KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival India (KASHISH MIQFF)Mumbai
India
June 3, 2022
Mumbai Premier
Official Selection -
7th Bengal International Short Film Festival (BISFF)Kolkata
India
May 17, 2022
Kolkata Premier
Official Selection -
2nd International Short Film Festival (ISFF), KolkataKolkata
India
May 28, 2022
Curators Choice Award -
12th Pune Short Film Festival (PSFF)Pune
India
June 4, 2022
Pune Premier
Official Selection -
11th International Film Festival of South Asia Toronto [IFFSA Toronto]Toronto
Canada
Canada Premier
Official Selection -
5th Ottawa Indian film Festival Awards (OIFFA)Ottawa
Canada
North American Premier
Official Selection -
Kuala Lumpur International Film Festival in the Sky (KLIFFS)
Malaysia
Honorable Mention -
Satyajit Ritwik Mrinal International Kolkata Film Festival (SRMIKFF)Kolkata
India
Best Promising Film -
5th South Asian Short Film Festival (SASFF)Kolkata
India
Official Selection -
8th International Film Festival of Shimla (IFFS)Shimla
India
Himachal Pradesh Premier
Official Selection -
3rd Roshani International Film Festival (RIFF)Aurangabad
India
Best Director Special Mention -
13th Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM)Melbourne
Australia
Australian Premier
Official Selection -
3rd Nirmal Pandey Smriti Film Festival (NPSFF)Nainital
India
Uttar Khand Premier
Official Selection -
14th International Short and Documentary Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK)Thiruvananthapuram
India
August 30, 2022
Kerala Premier
Official Selection -
9th Siliguri Short and Documentary Film Festival (SSDFF)Siliguri
India
Official Selection -
Mud House International Film Festival
Official Selection -
9th Goa Short Film Festival (GSFF)Panaji
India
October 16, 2022
Goa Premier
Best Indian Director -
Serbest International Film Festival (SIFF)
Semi-Finalist -
Dreamanila International Film FestivalManila
Philippines
Philippine Premier
Official Selection -
Urban Visions - Beyond the Ideal CityBologna
Italy
Italian Premier
Official Selection -
Golden Bridge Istanbul Short Film Festival
Official Selection -
Hummingbird International Film FestivalKolkata
India
Official Selection -
Behala International Film FestivalBehala
India
Festival Choice Award -
Cut International Film Festival
Official Selection -
Jharkhand National Film FestivalJamshedpur
India
Official Selection -
Black Cat Award International Film FestivalBolivia
Uganda
Official Selection -
Nashik International Short Film FestivalNashik
India
Official Selection -
8th Jaffna International Cinema FestivalJaffna
Sri Lanka
January 4, 2023
Sri Lanka Premier
Official Selection - International Competition Section -
3rd Bogura International Film FestivalBogura
Bangladesh
January 28, 2023
Bangladesh Premier
Official Selection -
6th International Film Festival PamePokhara
Nepal
December 30, 2022
Nepal Premier
Official Selection -
Phare International Film Festival
Mauritius
Official Selection -
5th Daddy Deshmukh Film Festival AkolaAkola
India
December 27, 2022
Special Jury Mention -
1st Northeast India International Film Festival (NIIFF)Dimapur
India
December 13, 2022
Nagaland Premier
Best LGBTQ Film - Runner Up -
9th Smita Patil International Film FestivalPune
India
December 18, 2022
Official Selection -
3rd Alibag Short Film FestivalAlibag
India
Official Selection -
Global Bengaluru International Film FestivalBengaluru
India
December 18, 2022
Karnataka Premier
Official Selection -
Celluloid Calcutta International Film FestivalKolkata
India
Official Selection -
Arunoday Film Festival 2023Ahmadnagar
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Pratibimb National Short Film and Documentary FestivalAhmadnagar
India
August 18, 2023
Official Selection -
Chitrangan International Film and Theater FestivalRewa
India
February 16, 2023
Official Selection -
Busan New Wave Short Film Festival
Korea, Republic of
South Korean Premier
Finalist -
Cineville Annual Film FestivalDelhi
India
Official Selection -
Nassau Film FestivalNassau
Bahamas
Honorable Mention -
Officine Social Movie 2023Arezzo
Italy
North Italian Premier
Finalist -
Paridrishya Film FestivalBengaluru
India
February 12, 2023
Nominee for Best Film -
Trans Film Festival StockholmStockholm
Sweden
Sweden Premier
Official Selection -
Kaduna International Film FestivalKaduna
Nigeria
Nigeria Premier
Official Selection
Distribution Information
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Ashish Madurwar
He was a part of the co-operative Hindi feature film HUMNE JEENA SEEKH LIYA (2007). He
did his post-graduation in sound design from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII)
and was selected for a cultural exchange programme between FTII and FAMU (Prague,
Czech Republic).
He is an alumni of Platform Busan 2022, Kyoto Filmmaker Lab masters session 2021,
Sundance Collab Visual Storytelling Program 2022, and NAFF Fantastic Film School 2022.
His short film as a writer-director, "Nagraj In Mumbai", won first prize at India's largest
50-hour filmmaking challenge, the India Film Project (IFP) and another 22-minute Hindi
short film, "Doranga", was screened at 3 Indian film festivals.
Currently, he has completed a 14-minute short film, Thodi Si Khushi (A Bit of Happiness).
The film has been selected by the International Film Festival of South Asia Toronto (IFFSA
Toronto), Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM), International Documentary and Short
Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK), KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival
(KASHISH MIQFF), South Asian Short Film Festival (SASFF), Ottawa Indian Film Festival
Awards (OIFFA), and others.
He is currently working on his first feature film, Hiranyakashipu (The Enemy Father), which
was a part of the Filmcity-NFDC (National Film Development Corporation) script lab and was
pitched at NFDC Film Bazaar 2021.
Recently, he was the winner of the Docu Proposal Contest by Cineimpact Film Academy,
Romania. He also creatively contributed to the Malayalam language film PAKA-The
Vengeance, which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)
2021
I believe the characters in this film are norm-defying, open-minded individuals with whom I can deeply relate.
A male makes money and runs the home under the typical Indian patriarchal family system and traditional culture, whilst a woman conducts household labour such as cooking and assisting the man.
In my short film, I attempted to shatter that monopoly by portraying a man as a househusband and a transgender person as his partner, who earns and runs the home.
The percentage of joy in life may be less than the proportion of problems, misfortunes, and sufferings. However, it provides us with the fortitude to go on with our lives. Little surprises, joyful moments, compassion, care and concern for our loved ones can bring positivity and strength to our lives.
Little happiness can help us to overcome tons of problems and proceed in life.