2024
JBN Originals
Narrative Short Film
End-to-end Film Production
In the relentless maze of Kolkata, whispers circulate of a vigilante known only as "Ma Kali." Donning red and black, doling punishments in bruises and broken bones, this dark figure appears only in shadow or myth. Who is the enigmatic avenger that has the city's underworld quaking?
Meet Deepa, a young woman, caught between familial duty and a burning quest for justice. As she navigates a high-stakes prison visit, fragments of a haunting past flicker to life. A lost twin sister, a vow made in the shadows of a merciless slum, and a life-altering storm—each a puzzle piece in the enigma that gave life to Ma Kali. But as the walls close in, will Deepa's father recognise the force she's become? And can society handle a woman who defies all attempts to be controlled?
Kali is more than a slum film-noir or vigilante showdown. Blending observational cinematography, collaborative filmmaking and a touch of magic realism, it's a labyrinthine journey into the soul, where the lines between justice and vengeance blur, and where power comes with its own set of haunting moral dilemmas.
Set against the vivid, contrasting landscapes of modern-day urban India, "Kali" is a suspenseful thriller and a meditation on identity, power, and the human condition. Introducing a wider world, as a proof-of concept short, this 36 hour journey, charting one woman’s course for revenge is sure to captivate, challenge, and leave viewers pondering long after the screen goes dark.
Writer/Director - JIJO
Producer - Subhajit Prasad
Sound - Sourav Gupta
Music - Hollie Buhagiar
VFX - Neil Rowe
Grade - Jake White
Editors - Subhajit Prasad & JIJO
DoP - JIJO
Disha Bhattacharjee (Deepa / Kali)
Ujjayini Chattopadhyay (Damini)
Rujana Thakur (Lela)
Arijeet Ganguly (Bikash)
Manoj Mondal (Father)
Priyanath Mukherjee (Ram Bhai)
In my chaotic home of Kolkata, a tribute to childhood's superhero fantasies comes to life through Kali. It's a world that invites us to question: What becomes of an ordinary soul thrust to the brink of humanity, where the tides of justice and revenge meet?
My story as a director, embedded in years of documentary and investigative storytelling, guides this exploration. With a career spanning over six continents, capturing the struggles of refugees to the urban heartbeat of global cities, I bring a unique perspective to this film, fuelled by my passion for character-led, socially impactful stories that engage with contemporary issues.
The tale of Deepa, our protagonist in Kali mirrors these global concerns, combining the essence of my background with a fresh narrative approach. Deepa's struggles resonate with the hopes, pain, and resilience I've seen first hand in the stories of marginalised and unheard communities.
Kali is more than a reimagining of the superhero original story; it's a manifestation of my lifelong love for comic-book stories and the debates they ignited in me about justice, equality, and morality, alongside a decade of witnessing everyday heroism in the stories I’ve covered. This has grown into a conviction: that a hero isn't an indestructible being from another planet, but an everyday individual grappling with life's harshest realities.
Kali explores this belief—built on the understanding that through genre, complex and timely themes can be distilled to their emotional core, making realities more relatable through a metaphorical lens. Against a backdrop of an urban India that is at once familiar and uncharted, Kali aims to push this tradition forward with grounded characterisation, authentic storytelling, and championing underrepresented talent and locations.
The short film was produced on a micro budget and supported by a crew of passionate aspiring filmmakers, local to the slum in which the story is set, as well as up-and-coming / non-actor talent from across West Bengal. A labour of love, the resulting film represents a new approach to building an authentic, non-extractive superhero narrative, which translates both on-screen and in the crew methodology behind the camera too. The creation of this film represents a commitment to transforming the superhero myth into something more reflective, raw and real, aiming for cinematic scale and emotional impact only possible through high-end, arthouse film.
Kali is a dance of justice and vengeance, dreams and reality. It stands as a testament to our team's dedication to creating stories that foster empathy, awareness, and incite change, extending my guiding principle as a director to weave social relevance into engaging genre narratives.
We invite viewers into a world where heroism is tangible, where ordinary people become extraordinary through sheer will, and a celebration of light can be found even in the darkest of places.
Festivals
Winner of Cannes Young Directors Award, Silver, 2024
Winner Best Picture & Best Director, London Global Film Awards, 2024
Winner of Best Director, Emerging Talent Film Festival, 2024
Winner of Best Short Film, Blue Bird Film Festival, 2023
Winner of Best Director, Mumbai Short Film Festival, 2023
Official Selection, Bengaluru International Short Film Festival, 2024
Official Selection, Best of India, Shorts TV, 2024
Official Selection, UK Asian Film Festival, 2024
Official Selection, London Indian Film Festival, 2023
Official Selection, Indian Panorama Film Festival, 2024
Official Selection, Jaipur International Film Festival, 2024
Official Selection, Lift-Off Film Festival, 2023
Official Selection, Goa Short Film Festival, 2023
Official Selection, South Asian Short Film Festival, 2024
Official Selection, Bengal International Short Film Festival, 2024
Semi-Finalist, Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival
.mp4.00_04_12_23.Still007.jpg)