Private Project

Jugnu- (Firefly)

The story of an adamant teenage girl Jugnu. Pictured in the rural part of India portrays the struggle for one of the necessities of humankind. Education. The film questions the mind & space of society and highlights the basic code of school uniform. Painted with a close bond between siblings and a struggle of their grandmother to survive the day-to-day life.

  • Abhijeet Srivastava
    Writer
  • Abhijeet Srivastava
    Director
  • Abhijeet Srivastava
    Producer
  • Sejal
    Key Cast
    "Jugnu"
  • Shivam
    Key Cast
    "Duggu/Suraj"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    30 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    May 31, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    650 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    India
  • Country of Filming:
    India
  • Language:
    Hindi
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Abhijeet Srivastava

With degree in journalism and a self-taught film writer, director. Born in a small town Nautanwa close to Nepal border and raised in Gorakhpur,India. Based in Mumbai. After working for television network and Media house the urge to be a storyteller never made me to walk in a comfortable shoe. Leaving all the perks behind I jumped into the cosmos of filmmaking and storytelling.
After Assisting in features, screenwriting, and being hammered with unnecessary question, it was time to get out and make something were I could question myself.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I was inspired by the work of Satyajit Ray's Appu Trilogy and Abbas Kiarostami's Koker trilogy, so wanted to make a short film that had something meaningful to say to the society am a part of. The idea of the script came into my mind when I recall an incident in my early school days when I had to participate in a school sports event and I was very adamant to buy a specific branded shoe and to my will, my father bought it for me. On that day and for many years I did not know what my father had to go through to buy that shoe. As in those days, we were not financially doing very well. Thinking of this event the thought that stuck in my mind was, what about those children who are unable to get an education because of such possibilities. So I wanted to tell the story of a girl in rural India where education is not a necessity but a luxury and if one wants to educate oneself, All you need is determination and a purpose.
Jugnu is a self-funded film made mostly with help of a villager who for the first time in their life saw a film shoot or even an 85mm lens. Actors, Production control, Art direction even food caters all these roles were played by the people of Lohana village(Madhya Pradesh). In 4 days of production, the crew faced many challenges. Like, when Amaa(Grandmother) needed to go to a Marriage ceremony in the right middle of the Shoot. Or when the DOP and Director got stuck in a wetland a day before the shoot. This film was made possible because of the crew who stepped into the idea and believed the story and its importance.