When a soothsayer predicts that Vanaja, the adolescent daughter of a poor fisherman, will become a great dancer one day, she takes a job with the local landlady, Rama Devi, in hopes of learning Kuchipudi dance and alleviating her father’s mounting debt. Rama Devi takes notice of the spirited young girl and begins to guide her in the art of music and dance. Vanaja excels in the arts, but a flirtation with Rama Devi’s son Shekhar, recently returned from the US, escalates into a struggle when Vanaja’s natural intellect causes Shekhar public humiliation. Shekhar’s wealth, power and caste give him an upper hand, but Vanaja’s tremendous strength and resilience is not to be underestimated.

VANAJA, Rajnesh Domalpalli’s debut feature and thesis for Columbia University’s graduate film program in the mid-2000s, resists the draw of sentimentality to tell a genuine story of determination among the most marginalized segment of South Indian rural society. The mark of authenticity is due in large part to the gifted ensemble of nonprofessional actors that comprise the film’s cast. Marked kudos go to the dynamic Mamatha Bhukya who embodies the titular character’s winning combination of charm and fortitude.

This film is part of a special program entitled “Childhood on Edge”, curated by the legendary Uma da Cunha, who has been IFFLA’s Programming Advisor since the festival’s inception in 2002. The program features six films with diverse characters on the verge of the momentous transformation from childhood to adulthood. 

DIRECTOR

Rajnesh Domalpalli comes from Hyderabad. VANAJA, his thesis film at Columbia University, opened at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival and went on to garner 34 International Awards including the Best First Feature at the 2007 Berlin Film Festival. Roger Ebert placed it in the Top 5 Foreign Films of 2007.