Sir Madam Sarpanch inspired by real-life women heroes who went abroad to study, then returned to head their villages

National Award winner Praveen Morchhale’s social satire bags Jury Award at prestigious French festival

Gearing up for release worldwide on April 14

As part of its promotions, Praveen Morchhale and lead actress Ariana Sajnani will meet one of their muses, Maya Vishwakarma, ‘Padwoman of India’

National Award-winning director Praveen Morchhale’s upcoming social satire, ‘Sir Madam Sarpanch’, is loosely based on the incredible stories of a few Indian girls who went abroad for higher studies and returned home to become the sarpanch of their villages. It recently bagged an INALCO Jury Award at the 29th edition of the prestigious Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinemas (VIFFAC), hosted in France, between Feb 28th and March 7th. The film is now gearing up for a release worldwide/across India on April 14th.

“I had read about these incredible women who for the love of their country, gave up a life of comfort and job opportunities abroad to return home and do something substantial for their villages. My film re-imagines the on-ground situation these superwomen found themselves in,” says Praveen Morchhale who as part of the film’s promotions, with lead actress Ariana Sajnani, will meet Maya Vishwakarma.

After completing her education in San Francisco, California, Maya was elected unopposed Sarpanch of Mehragaon village in Sai Kheda tehsil in Narsinghpur, Madhya Pradesh. She has written a book titled Swaraj Mumkin Hai on the importance of education and awareness in a self- sustainable village like her own, Mehragaon. Also known as the ‘Padwoman of India’, this feisty woman, is the founder-president of the Sukarma Foundation.

In the film Ariana’s character Ana, an Indian girl who has grown up in the US, returns to start a library in her ancestral village in Central India. Her intention raises a storm in political circles and the bureaucracy. Undeterred, Ana stands for the Gram Sabha elections, teaming up with several courageous village women to quietly take on the well-entrenched socio-political system.

“With gentle humour and subtlety, we have tried to show how books can be perceived as a threat to the prevailing status quo. A tongue-in-cheek commentary on ground-level politics, corruption and the patriarchy, Sir Madam Sarpanch celebrates the resilience of women working within their social circles to bring about positive change,” says Ariana, a bilingual Eurasian who graduated in theatre from Northridge, California, and got her Masters from The Actors Studio Drama School in Manhattan, New York.

Writer-director Praveen Morchhale is hailed by critics as one of the important filmmakers of India’s new wave. His 2017 feature film, Walking with the Wind, bagged three National Awards for Best Film (Ladakhi), Best Sound Design (Sanal George) and Best Re-Recording (Justin Jose) at the 65th National Film Awards as well as ICFT UNESCO Gandhi medal at the 49th International Film Festival of India.

His 2018 Urdu film, Widow of Silence, about a Kashmiri woman, whose husband has been missing for seven years yet the government is unwilling to declare him dead, debuted at the 23rd Busan International Film Festival where it was nominated for the Kim Jiseok Award for Best Asian Director. It has been screened at over 35 prestigious film festivals, including Rotterdam, Gothenburg, Los Angeles and Belgium. It has won five international awards and is considered the most important film coming out from India in 2019.

On his present triumph at Vesoul, Morchhale says, “It is interesting that an Indian satirical film won a special jury award at a prestigious international festival in Europe. It was amazing to see the audience laughing at the happenings in a world far removed from their own and yet managing to strike an empathetic chord. Humorous films are rarely invited on the world stage and then, for it to be so well appreciated makes it all the more special.”

An upbeat Ariana Sajnani adds, “There were so many wonderful films, spearheaded by extremely talented directors, at the festival. For our film to stand alongside these gems was an honor in itself. We are all winners because each film was a heartfelt story on different aspects of life from different parts of the world. Now, we are hoping to make an impression in our part of the world too.”

Produced by Suncal Productions International, the tongue-in-cheek commentary on a serious contemporary social subject also features National Award-winning actress Seema Biswas as Amma, along with Ariana Sajnani, and Bhagwan Tiwari.

Cast and Crew Credits:
Cast Credits include the Seema Biswas as the grandmother, Bhawan Tiwari as Village Politician, Ariana Sajnani as Ana (Girl from USA), Ajay Chourey as Barber, Tanishka Hatwalne as Chhutki (Small Girl), Hemant Deolekar as Gurudev, Jyoti Dubey as Sudha and Shubhangini Srivas as Kusum
Crew Credits include Director: Praveen Morchhale, Writer: Praveen Morchhale, Cinematographer: Mohammad Reza Jahanpanah, Art and Costume: Nikita Shah, Editor: Anthony Joseph, Music Director: Sahil Kulkarni, Lyrics: Rohhit Chandwaskar, Singer: Kailash Kher, Sound Recording: Vipul Pol, Sound design and Mixing: Hasan Shabankareh, Colour Grading: Hamidreza Fatourehchian.