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Original name: Nirjali
English name: Nirjali
Year: 2024
Run time: 118 minutes
Language: Marathi
Type (Colour/ Black & white): Colour
Country: India
Director: Swati Sadashiv Kadu
Producer: Sandeep Balasaheb Lokhande
Cast: Dattu More, Swati Kadu, Hemant Pharande, Hanumant Shinde
Screenplay: Swati Sadashiv Kadu
Cinematographer: Rahul Zende, Ajay Bhalerao
Editor: Saumitra Dharasurkar, Titiksha
Sound Designer: Vikrant Pawar
Music Composer: Niranjan, Sagar
Costume Designer: Swati Sadashiv Kadu
Production Company: Chitrawari Productions
Swati Sadashiv Kadu was born into a farm labourer family and completed her education while working as a labourer. She pursued studies in journalism and has been involved in reading and writing for many years, publishing two anthologies of poetry during her college years.
After observing the challenges faced by the Pardhi community, she spent three years studying their issues at the ground level. This research led her to create her first film, Nirjali, which explores the living conditions and questions surrounding their lives.
The film portrays the undocumented lives of the Pardhi community, a marginalized tribe in Maharashtra labeled as "born criminals" during the colonial era. Despite 75 years of Indian independence, their socio-economic conditions remain unchanged. The Pardhi are a nomadic tribe deprived of land, housing, education, and stable professions, often linked to theft and robbery.
The story follows a teenage girl determined to become a teacher despite facing personal, familial, social, and cultural challenges. Her journey highlights the systemic barriers faced by the Pardhi community. The film delves into issues such as their struggle to prove Indian citizenship, lack of education, and societal neglect.
It also examines broader societal dynamics, including caste discrimination in schools, exploitation of farm laborers by landlords, and the politics of dominance in rural settings. Through these layers, the film critiques the indifference of governance toward marginalized groups while presenting a chain of events that offer hope for transformation within the Pardhi community.
