Being a victim of child abuse himself, Ganesh Nallari, city-based designer and theatre artiste, has never quite left any opportunity to talk about it. Putting it in his words, “I know it makes many people uncomfortable. But there’s nothing suffocating about it, and a positive story can always be told.”
And that’s how he decided to make the short film UnSPOKEN, which released in November 2016, on the occasion of World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse, and has now gained recognition from the jury at The IndieFEST Film Awards.
The team has received an Award of Special Mention: Documentary Short. “This is my first production and I couldn’t ask for a better beginning,” exclaims Ganesh.
The video chronicles Ganesh’s life as a kid, his artistic journey, being bullied as a chubby kid, and then later discovering himself. All this is narrated through an interesting parallel of him making a painting. There’s also a reference to the inner self as God.
Interestingly, the reason he sent this film to various platforms wasn’t the recognition that would come with it. “When I wrote this script, these awards weren’t my aim. I wanted to tell a story. The only reason I sent it to all these platforms is because it would get screened and be seen by many. What more can I ask for? There are some stories which need to reach a wide audience and I know ours is one such,” he says.
The film addresses child abuse, but stays away from the often-discussed topics about teaching children how to deal with it, or parents’ talking to their kids about it. Instead, the film is for adult survivors. “There’s so much material about child abuse but very less for the adults survivors. It’s a very traumatic experience. It’s been several years since I first opened up about it and even today, people message me to talk about what they are going through. The film addresses the need to work on the strengths and gain courage to move forward,” explains Ganesh.
Talking about how the idea shaped up, he mentions his team mates Aayush Agarwal (director), Revanth Vojjala (DOP) and Punith Mahesh (editor), who made it possible to finish the film, which was produced under the banner of Chic Pea Studios Pvt. Ltd. Production.
Ganesh reflects, “They all helped me bring it to life. I never knew how big or small the award was when I sent it. It was only later that I came to know what a big deal it is to be associated with this festival. The biggest take home from this is to believe that nothing is big or small, and never to underestimate oneself.”
