Safaibaaz - The Scavenger
The movie ‘Safaibaaz - The Scavenger’ is a tribute to those who have sacrificed their lives to keep society clean and healthy but whose sacrifices have gone unsung and unhonoured.
Safaibaz is the story of a struggle of the sanitation workers or drainage and sewer line cleaners who even meet their death while cleaning a gutter. Unlike western countries where cleaning is mechanised, the sanitation workers in India clean them by hand or manual scavenging at the cost of their lives.
This is highlighted in an entertaining film format through the story of a Final Year student of B.Tech. Engineering whose project is based on safety measures for those engaged as sewer line cleaners – the scavengers. While many dissuade her from working on this difficult subject and advise her to choose some easy subject for her research, despite great difficulties she finally completes her project and reaches her goal of affording succour to the sewer line cleaners. The treatment of the film has been kept keeping in mind to reach out to the audience at large. Without getting too arty, the film preaches their safety measures through a gripping story with actors from main stream Hindi films.
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Dr. Avneesh SinghDirector
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Dr. Avneesh SinghWriter
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Dr. Avneesh SinghProducer
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Rajpal YadavKey Cast"Ghansa"
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Johnny LeverKey Cast"Prof. Rao"
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Omkar Das ManikpuriKey Cast"Lallan"
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Upasana SinghKey Cast"Prof. Kaur"
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Ravi KishanKey Cast"Politician"
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Anupam Shyam OjhaKey Cast"Sadhu Dada"
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Surendra Pal SinghKey Cast"Politician"
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Samarth ChaturvediKey Cast"Municipal Contractor"
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Manoj PanditKey Cast"Municipal Contractor"
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Ritu SinghKey Cast"Chanda"
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Ajay SinghKey Cast"Prof. Kamlesh Tripathi"
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Neelam PandeyKey Cast"Phullo"
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Manpreet KaurKey Cast"Taarika"
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Ashish AwanaKey Cast"Vikram"
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Sudesh BhoslePlay Back Singers
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Dr. Neeta SinghPlay Back Singers
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Pamela JainPlay Back Singers
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Siddhant BhoslePlay Back Singers
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Dr. Neeta SinghMusic Director
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Swarup HonupMusic Director
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Ajit ChoubeyCreative & Associate Director
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Ayub Ali KhanCinematography
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Sushil SharmaCinematography
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Project Title (Original Language):Safaibaaz (The Scavenger)
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Project Type:Experimental
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Genres:Drama, Experimental, Inspirational, Feature
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Runtime:2 hours
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Country of Filming:India
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Language:Hindi
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Shooting Format:RED
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:No
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Samskara International Film FestivalDehradun
India
Indian Premiere
Best Feature Film -
Cotton City International Film FestivalAkola
India
Best Film on Social Issues & Best Actor -
Cafe Irani Chaii International Film FestivalMumbai
India
Best Feature Film & Best Actor -
Uruvatti International Film FestivalSaligramam, Tamil Nadu
India
Best Experimental Film & Best Producer -
Shunya International Film FestivalOnline
India
Best Feature Film
Distribution Information
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Avneeta ArtsDistributorCountry: WorldwideRights: All Rights
After working for 28 years in various capacities for Government of India, Dr. Avneesh Singh opted for voluntary retirement from the post of Director General, Factory Advice Service and Labour Institutes (DGFASLI) which serves as technical arm of Ministry of Labour and Employment, Govt. of India, and formulates national policies on Occupational Safety and Health.
Film making has been his passion since beginning. While in DGFASLI, Dr. Singh contributed many videos on ‘Safety in Construction Industry’, ‘Prevention and Control of Silicosis’, ‘Safety in Ship Breaking Industry’ and ‘Working with VDT’. In addition to this he has directed many videos on Occupational Safety and Health aspects. Some of the notables are- ‘Surikshit Jeevan-Khushaal Jeevan’ and ‘Safety in Welding’.
My debut movie ‘Safaibaaz’ is a tribute to those who have sacrificed their lives to keep society clean and healthy but whose sacrifices have gone unsung and unhonoured.
Working with the labour department, I have worked closely with occupational safety and health wing which states that 92% of unorganised sector works in a very unsafe matter. Our courts too have asked to stop the practice of manual scavenging but the practice is still being followed and results in mishaps and safai karamcharis die. We have picked this issue and are showing this through our film.
I have put all my savings into making this film to spread awareness. Instead of a hero or heroine, this film has multiple characters who build the film together. The message I want to put across through this film is "don’t hate the people who keep you clean, healthy and hygienic." Also, I wish that the supervisors and contractors be aware that they should keep safety arrangements for the workers.