Taking the Horse to Eat Jalebis
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Film description
Old Delhi, once the grand capital of precolonial India, is now a district of Delhi, filled with contrasts and a specific atmosphere. This is the hunting ground of thieves who know their city almost as well as other people's pockets. But times change and the urban jungle is getting ever harder to navigate – at some point, one has to turn the corner. The thieves turn into tour guides, showing the tourists around the district in ways defying stereotypes. The camera follows Patru, one of the pickpockets, who has been living off the Old Delhi for many years.
Anamika Haksar's debut, woven from dreams, tidbits of poetry, documents and legends, resonates like an urban symphony, reflecting the eclectic nature of the old capital. On the one hand, it is a set of stories within stories, praising the romantic myth of a thief. On the other, an anthropological record based on conversations with city locals, the guardians of its former glory. This is a film that defies categorization, evolves, lets the audiences wander around like lost wayfarers, meandering between dream and reality, night and day, the past and the present. Thus, Haksar creates a personal love letter to the Old Delhi, shedding light on things such as its palette of aromas and its claustrophobic crowdedness.
text:
Łukasz Mańkowski
Anamika Haksar
Theater and film director. In 1995, she received a special Sanskriti award for creating a new language in Indian theater. In 2016, at the invitation of the Kochi Biennale, she created the improvised stage installation "Composition on Water," a record of memories connected to political oppression. To make her film debut, she spent many years looking for producers and being constantly rejected. She ended up selling her house to get the money for the production.
2018 Dźalebi dla konia / Ghode Ko Jalebi Khilane Le Ja Riya Hoon / Taking the Horse to Eat Jalebis
