'Khilawadi' to Bring Madhya Pradesh's Banchhada Girls' Trafficking Story to the World

New Delhi- "I want to become a doctor"—this dream of 12-year-old Sapna forms the heart of the film 'Khilawadi (The One Who Plays)'. But this is not merely a story of a child's aspirations; it is the tale of girls from the Denotified Banchhada community in Madhya Pradesh, who are pushed into sex trafficking due to social traditions and economic compulsion.

Directed by Shobhita Thakur, a filmmaker, writer, and alumna of FTII, Pune, this film is now set to represent India on the international stage. After winning a major award at Canada's Fascinasian Film Festival, the film has been selected for France's 31st Festival International du Film de Nancy and Russia's XXII Kazan International Altyn Minbar Film Festival. Currently, it is the only representative film from India in the Long Short (Short Feature) category at both festivals.

The film's protagonist, Sapna, is a 12-year-old girl from the Banchhada community in Madhya Pradesh. After seeing a female doctor working at the village primary health center, she develops a deep desire to become a doctor herself. She wants to study, build a future for herself, and escape the life that most girls from her community are forced to endure.

But her dreams face numerous obstacles. Sapna cannot obtain a caste certificate because she is born out of wedlock. Without this certificate, she is denied access to free education. Meanwhile, her family's financial situation is so dire that her mother asks her to drop out of school and engage in sex work at night to support the household.

The film features a compassionate female doctor and a social worker who try to help Sapna. They want her to continue her education and change the course of her life. However, administrative indifference and societal circumstances do not allow their efforts to succeed.

Ultimately, Sapna is forced to abandon her dream of becoming a doctor and accept the very life she was trying to escape.

'Khilawadi' is a narrative based on the lives, education, identity, and social conditions of girls from the Banchhara community. The film was shot in Madhya Pradesh itself to keep the story grounded in its authentic social environment.

Director Shobhita Thakur said in a conversation with The Mooknayak:

"As a woman filmmaker and artist, I felt it was my responsibility to bring the story of unimaginable exploitation and suffering of these young girls to the forefront through cinema. This film is not just a portrayal of their pain, but also an appeal to society for change, so that this ongoing injustice can be recognized and action can be taken against it."

She further emphasized that the film has been made in a realistic style:

"The film was shot in Madhya Pradesh itself to keep the story connected to its real social milieu. I tried to adopt a cinematic style that is raw, authentic, and presents the lives of these girls honestly, without any artificial embellishment."

Shobhita Thakur is an alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, where she completed a three-year program in Film Editing. Her professional journey spans cinema, advertising, and long-form storytelling. She has worked closely with National Award–winning director Rajan Khosa as a Director’s Assistant and later assisted Anurag Basu on advertising films—experiences that have deeply shaped her narrative sensibility and visual language.

Shobhita has also worked as a freelance Editorial Creative with Netflix India and has collaborated with several leading advertising film production houses as an Assistant Director. Her debut short film Khilawadi has been well received, Premiering at Fascinasian Film Festival Canada, Winning Audience choice award at Fascinasian Film Festival Calgary, and Best Shot Film Award and Building Bridges Award at Fascinasian Film Festival Edmonton.

Also won Best Short Film Award at Buddha International Film Festival Pune, India. The film continues its journey across the festival circuit. As a writer, Shobhita works across fiction and non-fiction, often engaging with themes of identity, gender, memory, art, artists, power, and social structures.

'Khilawadi' has been selected in the International Competition category of the 31st Festival International du Film de Nancy (France), which begins on July 4.

According to the film's team, out of thousands of submissions from around the world, only about 150 films were selected for this prestigious festival. The festival has been known for over three decades for showcasing independent and socially relevant films.

The film has also been selected for the XXII Kazan International Altyn Minbar Film Festival, scheduled to be held from September 4.

The film's team stated that entries were received from 66 countries this year. Out of these, 54 films from 21 countries made the final cut, while only 10 films secured a place in the Short Feature category. In this category, 'Khilavadi' is the only selection from India.

The film continues its journey at international film festivals, carrying forward the story of Banchhara community girls beyond India's borders to a global audience.