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03 The Bicycle Girl
India
Drama / HD / Hindi / Kannada / 100 mins
Director: Shivajee CHANDRABHUSHAN
Producers: Shivajee CHANDRABHUSHAN, Triparna BANERJEE
HAF Goals: Funds, Co-producers, Sales agents
Budget: US$198,000
Secured Budget: US$26,500
Director’s Filmography:
Shivajee
CHANDRABHUSHAN 2012 One More...
2009 Frozen
A teenage girl wants to participate in the school cycling competition but first she must
convince her father, who lost his wife years ago after a treacherous cycle ride.
Synopsis
Director’s Statement
In rural India and small towns, I have observed how
morning and evening hours ring with laughter and
tinkling of bells of students cycling. Though cycling
is quite popular, India has never produced a worldclass cyclist. This is a story of a teenage girl who
aspires to be a champion cyclist. The conflicts
are immense, with a female breaking into a maledominated sport in India and her father opposing
her cycling. Making her motherless makes the story
more interesting. Yet, this is not a simple story of
right or wrong. The father is unable to fathom what
he wants from his daughter, or what he wants from
himself for his daughter. The daughter never tries to
reach out to the father; she feels that is his parental
responsibility. Meanwhile, she is so focused on
cycling that she bulldozes people around her.
The Bicycle Girl also tells the story of parents,
teachers, and students. Whereas parents and
teachers cling to a bygone era, the students are full
of energy and hope, yet they remain confused.
His second film, One More... was selected for Asian
Project Market at Busan International Film Festival
and won the Pan Star Cruise Award. It screened
through the Best of Indian Cinema programme of
India’s National Television Channel, Doordarshan.
His upcoming film The Untold Tale, was selected for
the project development section of Cannes Film
Festival’s Cinefondation program L’Atelier in 2012.
Producers
Shivajee CHANDRABHUSHAN (also director)
Triparna BANERJEE
Triparna BANERJEE, a trained classical dancer,
started her writing career with Sesame
Street in India. She is producer at Shivajee
CHANDRABHUSHAN Films and is the co-founder
and Curator of the Carpe diem Artists Residency.
Production Company
Shivajee Chandrabhushan Films
Meera loves cycling. She was born on a bicycle she
is told. Nothing makes her feel better than a cycle
ride and her dream is to become a champion cyclist.
However, she is not supported by her father in her
cycling pursuits. She has participated in local races
with the help from her best friend Frieda, who lends
Meera her cycle. She also has a strong ally in her
grandmother, who has brought her up. At school
she learns about a mountain cycling competition
and decides to participate.
Excited, Meera approaches the sports section of
her school but gets a rude shock when told that
they are not accepting girl participants. After much
persuasion, the school authorities insist that Meera
should first qualify a round of pre-selection by racing
against the clock to be able to take part in the main
race, as they are not sure about Meera’s capabilities.
Furious Nekchand slams Meera and accuses her
of ruining his life and killing his wife. Meera shouts
back at him that it is not her fault that his wife got
pregnant. Nevertheless, she will participate in the
race and prove to the world that she is the best
cyclist. Nekchand too threatens that he will see to it
that she doesn’t participate in the race.
By quirk of fate both keep their promises but not
exactly the way they wanted.
The story is based in a small, hilly town. I consider
myself a very visual storyteller and the beautiful
locale of green undulating hills will become a
soothing character itself while providing a perfect
backdrop for the conflict. The cycle rides are
another important aspect of visual storytelling.
They will be shot so the audience will feel the
roller-coaster movement of the ride, with fresh
mountain breezes caressing Meera’s face through
her windblown hair.
Hopefully, The Bicycle Girl will tell us about our own
individual stories while we will learn something new
from the tale.
Director
Shivajee Chandrabhushan Films is based in
Mumbai, India. Owned by national awardwinning independent director Shivajee
CHANDRABHUSHAN, whose first film, Frozen,
screened at various International Film Festivals,
and won over 20 awards, the company aims at
producing films with human stories that appeal
across borders.
The second feature production of the company,
One More..., depicts an ice hockey team from the
Himalayas. It won the Pan Star Cruise Award at
Asian Project Market at Busan International Film
Festival. Shivajee Chandrabhushan Films is presently
developing feature films Riding on The Moon Boat,
The Untold Tale and The Bicycle Girl.
Shivajee CHANDRABHUSHAN
Shivajee CHANDRABHUSHAN’s first feature,
Frozen, premiered at Toronto International
Film Festival and screened at festivals including
Rotterdam, Munich, Busan, and Hong Kong. It won
more than 20 awards, including Best Director at
Cines Del Sur, Spain, Special Jury at Osian’s Cinefan,
Best Film and Music at Imagine India Festival in
Madrid, Grand Prix at Vladivostok and two National
Awards.
Contact
Triparna BANERJEE
Shivajee Chandrabhushan Films
204-Chitra, Kores Nakshatra Complex,
Vartak Nagar, Thane West,
400606 Maharashtra, India
Tel: +91-9022565075,
+91-9550885034
Email: [email protected],
[email protected]
HONG KONG - ASIA FILM FINANCING FORUM 2015
HONG KONG - ASIA FILM FINANCING FORUM 2015
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Nekchand runs a small eatery at the serene hilly
town in Southern India. He has taken heavily to
drinking since the death of his wife 17 years ago.
He often lost thinking about that fateful night. It
was a rainy stormy night when his wife got into
labour, not finding any vehicle, he rushes her to the
hospital on his rickety old bicycle. His efforts come
to nothing. He blames the death of his wife on his
daughter Meera who came into this world at that
unexpected hour and the damned bicycle.
At the time trial, Meera breaks the school record
and qualifies to cycle in the main race. News
reaches home.
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