‘Bittu’ is a short film inspired by a true story about a close friendship between two girls, eclipsed by a poisoning accident that took place in a school in rural Bihar in India in the year 2013.

Of her protagonist Bittu, Director Karishma Dev Dube says, “Bittu is this little kid who was kind of beyond her years and unaware of traditional gender norms and a bit like an individual in a herd who is somehow punished for her individuality on this seemingly normal day at school and is eventually somehow saved by it.”

Though inspired by the accident, the film focuses on a child’s psychology rather than the incident. Explaining this, Karishma says, “This film is less about why and how the poisoning happened; instead, it explores a child’s experience when she is suddenly and senselessly thrown into such peril. In reimagining the narrative, I took the story to a remote village in the Himalayas’ forgotten side, a place that was also home to my boarding school growing up. It was here that I formed my complicated relationship with authority, much like the one Bittu has with her teachers in school.”

‘Bittu’ doesn’t feature any known names. Karishma opted for street casting. She went to local communities and government schools in rural area and organised theatre workshops and selected kids for her film.

Says Karishma of her experience, “The little girl who plays Bittu, Rani, she kind of emerged from the group pretty quickly and there was something very electric about her. We connected instantly.”

After rehearsals, which went on for two months, ‘Bittu’ was shot in a span of just six days. Karishma Dev Dube has previously bagged the prestigious Director’s Guild of America (DGA) Student Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in the Asian American Category for Bittu.