Private Project

Kasaai (The Devil)

Set in Rajasthan, India in the backdrop of village council elections, Kasaai is a political drama that meanders around the struggle of a mother Gulabi to get justice for her 18 year old son who gets killed by his impulsive father in a fit of rage. As the family tries to cover up the crime under the garb of a concocted story to balance out their fluctuating political fortunes, an unexpected turn of event brings a ray of hope for the mother as it also turns the table for the family, but will it be a win win end?

  • Gajendra S. Shrotriya
    Director
    Bhobhar
  • Gajendra S. Shrotriya
    Writer
    Bhobhar
  • Charan Singh Pathik
    Writer
    Pataakha
  • Gajendra S. Shrotriya
    Producer
    Bhobhar
  • Utkarsh Indaliya
    Producer
    Chutki Bajaa Ke
  • Nilesh Singhi
    Producer
  • Mita Vasisht
    Key Cast
    "Gulabi"
    Drohkaal, Tarpan, Idiot, Trishna
  • Ravi Jhankal
    Key Cast
    "Lakhan"
    Welcome to Sajjanpur, Agnipath, NH10
  • V K Sharma
    Key Cast
    "Sarpanch Poornaram"
    Khosla ka Ghonsla, Son Chiraiya
  • Ashok Banthia
    Key Cast
    "Bhaggi Patel"
    Khoobsurat
  • Mayur More
    Key Cast
    "Suraj"
    Anarkali of Aarah
  • Richa Meena
    Key Cast
    "Misri"
  • Charan Singh Pathik
    Story
    Pataakha
  • Gajendra S. Shrotriya
    Screenplay
    Bhobhar, Chutki Bajaa Ke
  • Shanker Indaliya
    Lyrics
    Chutki Bajaa Ke, Saako
  • Ish Madhu Talwar
    Lyrics
  • Ravindra Upadhyay
    Music
  • Ashvin Ameri
    Cinematography
  • Swaroop Nath Bhatra
    Sound
  • Kriti Das
    Sound
    Ashwathhama, Lajwanti
  • Amit Bimrot
    Associate Director
    Raid, Made in China
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Kasaai
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 36 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    January 5, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    150,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    India
  • Country of Filming:
    India
  • Language:
    Hindi
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Jaipur International Film Festival 2019
    Jaipur
    India
    January 19, 2019
    Regional Premiere
    Special Jury Mention Award
  • International Film Festival of Sriganganagar 2019
    Sriganganagar
    India
    January 22, 2019
    None
    Official Selection
  • Jagran Film Festival 2019
    Mumbai
    Iran, Islamic Republic of
    September 23, 2019
    None
    Official Selection
  • Moonwhite Films International Film Festival 2019
    Mumbai
    India
    November 16, 2019
    Awarded Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress
  • LIFFT India Filmotsav - World Cine Fest 2019
    Lonawala
    India
    December 12, 2019
    Official Selection
  • Global Indian Film Festival 2019, Mumbai
    Mumbai
    India
    November 14, 2019
    The Best Film Jury, The Best Actress Award
  • Open Window International film Festival 2020
    Kolkata
    India
    Best film
  • Cannes International Film Festival
    Cannes
    France
    Semi Finalist
  • Ontario International Film Festival
    Ontario
    Canada
    Official Selection
Distribution Information
  • Required for all regions
Director Biography - Gajendra S. Shrotriya

Gajendra S Shrotriya, an engineer and MBA by qualification is a film maker by passion. His debut feature film in Rajasthani titled “Bhobhar” had its world premiere at Corinth International Film Festival in Greece and was screened at several International Film Festivals in India and abroad. The film won awards in ten categories including The Best Direction at the First Rajasthan Film Awards, and was received well, both by the critics and the audiences at the box-office. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhobhar

Besides, he has co-written screenplay for Hindi feature film Chutki Bajaa Ke and directed an animated feature film on Rani Laxmi Bai. Several of his short films have been officially screened at National and International Film Festivals and have won awards, notable of which are Picnic (2008), I’m Sorry (2010) and Selfie (2014).

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Kasaai represents the grey shade of the character that exists in every human being, and which raises its head when he is driven by greed, power and ambition. Kasaai is an intriguing story that intrudes these dark corners of the human mind. Based on a true incident, this story was first published in an acclaimed Hindi literary magazine, and later became the part of story book collection by Pathik. I happened to read it few years back, and it remained with me for a long time. After several subsequent readings I was sure that this story was meant for the big screen. The beauty of the story is that despite being a political drama, it unfolds like a thriller in a layered manner lending it the much needed mysticism. Further, it very intimately explores the most basic level of Indian politics as the narrative moves forward in the back drop of gram-panchayat elections. Nevertheless, it could also be put as a love story that gets smothered by ambitions, and of ambitions that gets stalled by love. Highlight of the story is its leading woman character who against all odds challenges the patriarchy and dares to take a stand for what is right.

Dialogues are in Hindi but an undertone of the local dialect of the region close to Braj lends the requisite authenticity to the script. Some real cracking performances by NSD veterans in the lead backed by a strong technical team from FTII in cinematography and sound departments have done justice to the script. Film is subtitled in English for non-Hindi speaking audiences. Kasaai is potentially a powerful piece of cinema that is deeply rooted in its soil, and yet represents a universal theme.