On A Quest: A short film collection

We, The People(Samarth Mahajan, 27 min)
Catapult to Cameras (Ashwika Kapur, 40 min)
Mic Drop (Kallol Mukherjee, 27 min)

We, The People 

"We, The People" documents protests on Jantar Mantar Road, the erstwhile protest street in Delhi. Through the narratives of three individuals who protested indefinitely at Jantar Mantar Road, the film questions the socio-political reality of India when compared to the ideals the nation set out with.

About the director:
Samarth Mahajan is a Mumbai-based filmmaker, passionate about telling human stories that remain invisible to the mainstream. His work includes two national award-winning documentaries - the latest feature ‘Borderlands’ explores lives defined by India's borders, and the 2017 film ‘The Unreserved’ captures stories from general compartments of Indian Railways. He is now writing his fiction debut. Recognized by IIT Kharagpur as a Young Alumni Achiever, Samarth's commercial collaborations include brands like Vice Studios, Applause Entertainment, and Discovery+.

________________________

Catapults To Cameras
In Catapults to Cameras, Kolkata-born wildlife filmmaker Ashwika Kapur sets out on a
deeply personal quest to uncover the roots of an illegal wildlife hunting festival in the
forests of her home state West Bengal. Each year, thousands of protected animals are
massacred here in an illegal blood sport. As Ashwika sets out to find answers, she
uncovers a heart-breaking truth: children as young as three are handed catapults as
weapons in this assault against wildlife. Ashwika teams up with conservationist Suvra
Chatterjee from Human & Environment Alliance League (Heal), an organisation that has
been working with the local community for over a decade, to inspire change in the hearts of children within these hunting communities.

The film follows the journey of five children who eventually become conservation
ambassadors. It captures their joy, their growth, and the transformative potential of
nature education.

_________________________

Mic Drop
In a region where the native language is often overlooked, a young Bundelkhandi (a tribal dialect) rapper from Madhya Pradesh, India works tirelessly on his first album. As he faces financial struggles and a lack of resources, the question remains: will he be
able to make it and at what cost?

About the director:
Kallol Mukherjee is a filmmaker from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, based in Mumbai. A film institute dropout, he has worked as a director and screenwriter across independent and commercial projects. His films have been recognised at prestigious festivals, with three premiering at IDSFFK in 2022, 2023, and 2024. His short fiction, The Unowned House, screened at over ten festivals and won First Prize from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. His recent short documentary Mic Drop has screened at more than twenty international festivals, including Dharamshala International Film Festival, IFFSA Toronto, Film Southasia Kathmandu, Rome International Documentary Festival, and New York Indian Film Festival. Alongside independent work, Kallol has worked as an Associate and Second Unit Director on commercial films and web series with production houses such as Applause Entertainment, In10 Media, DocuBay OTT, etc. He is currently developing his debut feature Ardhsatya and completing his debut feature documentary.