On June 14, the Dr Ambareesh Auditorium in Chamrajpet hosted season 3 of Neeli Paradé, a screening of four short films by Ambedkarite filmmakers.
Presented by Neelavarana, a Bengaluru-based Ambedkarite production house and artists’ collective, the event celebrates Dalit and Bahujan lives and experiences while creating space for dialogue between filmmakers and audiences through post-screening discussions.
Neeli Paradé was first organised in 2022, and has since evolved from a small show into a recurring platform for Dalit and Bahujan filmmakers and conversations around their cinema.
Among the short films screened, the spotlight rested on Moda Moda by MK Abhilash and Out of Syllabus by Mahishaa, who is also the founder of Neelavarana.
Moda Moda follows a couple who decide to name their would-be child Moda (clouds). Out of Syllabus centres on the blooming companionship between two girls, Sneha and Kritika, and their shared backgrounds as they walk home from school.
Following the screenings, both filmmakers participated in a discussion moderated by Vijeta Kumar, an assistant professor at Bengaluru’s St Joseph's University. The discussion explored the films’ themes, creative processes, and social contexts. The focus remained on community and shared values, while the stories told made the setting intimate and personal.
“I think films are a great way to get people to think about things that they might not otherwise be comfortable talking about,” remarks Taanika Shankar, a schoolteacher who had attended Neeli Paradé for the first time.
“I moved to Bengaluru a couple of years ago, and I too come from a Dalit background. I wanted to find a community where there are Dalit filmmakers and films about issues that impact Dalits. That’s when I came across the channel Neelavarna Media,” recalls Abhiraj Dethe, a director and writer whose recent works include projects with Flying Dosa Films. Abhiraj has attended earlier sessions and even remembers having previously watched one of the films screened on June 14.
The post-screening discussion reflected on how the films moved beyond conventional portrayals of Dalit lives.
“Since the time we started making films, I have seen that stories dealing with Dalit issues often portray us either as victims or as fighters,” commented an audience member. “Here, I see that the characters are also smiling, and the filmmaker is also smiling.”
The event also featured stalls run by community-owned small businesses selling crochet products, artwork, and homemade chocolates. The initiative was aimed at supporting independent artists and entrepreneurs.
Looking ahead, Mahishaa aspires to make Neeli Paradé an annual festival and to expand its reach to other cities like Mysuru and Mangalore through special invitations. Neelavarana is also open to where the future might lead, including the possibility of venturing into longer formats, which may be difficult, Mahishaa notes.
“The next major step is to move towards feature films. That is a challenge. That's something we have to figure out how to do, but we do want to eventually go into feature films and bigger screenings and events,” he told TNM.
This article was written by students interning with TNM.