Doori

It's a Television short film based on a short story with the same title, written by one of the legends of Indian language literature - Vijaydan Detha, popularly known as Vijji. He is now no more with us. This short story was first published in a small Hindi magazine-'Pahal', in late 80's. I always wanted to translate it into visual medium which was finally realised in 2003-04, when with the author's consent, I was offered by Jaipur D.D. Centre, to make some films for Prasar Bharati. It was a hastily made film, shot just in one day and edited in one night under, what a infamous proverb said, 'in a shoe string budget. Except Surekha Sikri, who is a very fine, skilled and a well known actress, others appearing in the film are just ordinary persons beside Asima Bhatt, who plays a fractional role of a nurse in a hospital. 'Doori' (distance) tells poignantly about the desensitization of urbanizing life, a deep vertical split between city and countryside in India.