Documentary Film Invite from OUCIP

Osmania University Centre for International Programmes

cordially invites you to a screening of

‘Please Don’t Beat Me, Sir!’
(by Shashwati Talukdar and Kerim Friedman; 80-mins).

The screening will be followed by a discussion with the directors.

Time: 2 pm
Day & Date: Mon 15 Feb 2010
Venue: AV Room, OUCIP

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‘Please Don’t Beat Me, Sir!’ is still a work in progress. The
documentary is about a troupe of young Chhara actors
using theater to fight police brutality and the stigma
of criminality. The Chhara are one of 198 communities
in India—now over 60 million people—labeled
“born criminals” by the British. Although the British
are long gone, the stigma still remains. We meet Roxy
whose father was beaten to death for speaking out, and
his best friend Dakxin who was thrown in prison for
writing plays critical of the police. We meet Dakxin’s
Dadi(grandmother), who tell us about life in the
government-run prison camps.

The film is about a society in transition: the older generation did
whatever it took to make ends meet, but they want a better life for
their children. With social prejudice blocking all exits, for some
young people, theater offers the only way out. From busy
street corner protests to a climactic nerve-wracking
performance in front of cadets at the Police Academy,
'Please Don’t Beat Me, Sir!' takes us inside the lives
of these young people as they use theater to carve out a
place for themselves in the world.

See the trailer here

P.S. - Posting this a bit late as I have been dealing with an iffy Internet connection all of today (I came to know about this yesterday).

OUCIP is located in the Osmania University campus, and can be reached by turning left opposite College of Arts (if you are coming from the Tarnaka side) OR by continuing straight from the Administrative Building (if you are coming from the Vidyanagar / Shivam side).