Anuja has been attracting a lot of attention recently due to its Oscar shortlisting and Priyanka Chopra's fame. As expected, it's a heart-wrenching story that reflects the struggle of a 9-year-old girl who is not even mature enough to make those choices. Perhaps that uncertainty is what makes it special.
The short film tells the story of a nine-year-old girl, Anuja (Sajda Pathan), who works in a factory. When questioned about her age by a school teacher who wants to take the opportunity to help her get an education, she claims that she is 14. Despite lying to his face, the teacher still gives her the choice to come back to school and take her exam. Anuja has a caring sister, Palak (Ananya Shanbhag), who is the only person Anuja might listen to.
Palak wants Anuja to become educated and build a bright future that she couldn't achieve for herself, which is also what their mother desired. Yet, she is unable to persuade Anuja to go and take the exam, but who knows if Anuja might listen to her. As promised to her sister, Anuja has to go to the exam, albeit reluctantly. At the same time, the factory owner offers her a job after noticing her remarkable talent for math. Will Anuja be able to make a choice at such a young age?
Anuja ends abruptly, feeling somewhat incomplete, but that uncertainty about Anuja's character actually makes it a complete film. It runs for 20-21 minutes and, therefore, feels short, which may explain why I couldn't feel any significant impact. Yet, it is absorbing enough to make you think about it for a moment.
The main reason for this age is that the story resonates with millions of girls across the world. They are too small to make choices, and maybe that's why they have remained backward and poor for years. Some girls don't even get that rare chance, and those who do fail to understand what it means. There is not much special about it other than mirroring some bitter facts of society.
Sajda Pathan was natural, and it is not a typical act that can be judged as a "performance." She is not even an actor, so it would be unfair to assess her acting. It's all about her screen presence, and the same goes for Ananya Shanbhag. Nagesh Bhosle was fine as the factory owner, and Gulshan Walia was decent in the two or three frames in which he appears. The rest of the cast hardly appears enough to be noticed.
Adam Graves' simple formula of human emotions without dramatic conflicts makes it a decent watch. There is a lot of hype surrounding this project in India, so I'd like to say, "cool down, guys. There is nothing out there for you to hype." Watch Anuja just to understand the problem that has existed for years, and many of us are already familiar with it. We have had many independent shorts and documentaries about the same. It's just that one "burning" moment at the end that might stay with you. You can skip the rest of the show, but what's there to skip in 20 minutes?
