Directors: Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman
Cast: Kochi, Avijit Halder, Shanti Das and Manik
Rating: ****
I don’t know if India will ever become the next super power or not, but what does appear very evident is, sooner or later this country will see thousands of illegitimate innocent children of sex workers being robbed off a word called ‘hope’ from their lives and are forced to ‘join the line’ (read: prostitution), not because their parents want to but unfortunately it’s the only alternative available for several families living in the red light district of Calcutta called Sonagachi. This Oscar-winning documentary by Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman takes us inside the filthy brothels through the eyes of eight young kids of the sex workers.
Zana Briski came to Calcutta in 1997 on an assignment to capture the harsh reality of the lives of people living in Sonagachi. While the women were against the id
ea of being photographed or even let her into their lives, the children showed keen interest in her idea. In return, Zana set up a photography class and taught them the art of expressing through photographs. After spending five long years on and off with the children in the red light district, Zana finally managed to finish her film and in turn helped the children to earn a livelihood.
Most children born and raised in Sonagachi don’t enjoy living there one bit, yet are forced to live and take up prostitution that runs into generations in many families. These children live with great grandmothers, grandmothers and mothers who’ve all been prostituting for ages and thus don’t even dream of a life outside their world. It’s sad to know that even when help comes in the form of Zana or people who’ve taken the effort to change the lives of the kids, the parents don’t even appreciate the idea of sending away their children to school or community help centres for a better future. These parents often protect their children out of the sheer necessity for survival.
While one part of the documentary sheds lights on the lives of sex workers and
their children, the other part focuses on society and government that doesn’t treat the children from the red light district and those born on the outside equally. One of the best examples from this documentary is when these children are barred admission into schools because they’re sons and daughters of hookers. The questions that’s raised here is can a child choose his/her place of birth? And what’s wrong if he/she is born in a brothel but shows keen interest in education. The mounting efforts to place the children in boarding schools to escape the cycle of poverty and exploitation by Briski are brilliantly documented in this film.
As we’re taken through the lives of Kochi, Shanti, Avijit, Suchitra, Manik, Gour, Puja and Tapasi, all aged between 10 and 14, we come across the hidden potential of these kids who despite knowing that their chances of a future outside Sonagachi is bleak, yet learn photography as if there’s no tomorrow. The film is proof to the prospective talent of millions of other third world children who struggle daily for existence on the streets.
Shot colorfully through digital camera, most of the story is narrated through the photos clicked by the children. Uplifting music by John McDowell deserves a special mention for not deviating from the mood of the film.
