Vinita NEGI
This film is a peek into Prabha's wonderful little world and a rumination on her refusal to be dismissed by age & vulnerability. Prabha was born into a conservative family in 1937. One of six siblings, she was forced to discontinue her education after school and was expected to get married. Perturbed by the obvious family intent, Prabha leaves home at 21 and charts an independent path, an unprecedented rebellion especially for that time. She worked three odd jobs to put herself through college and became passionately involved in car rallies, often being the only female participant. She would be asked to take her application back by organizers who were apprehensive of a female driver being enrolled in extremely challenging car rallies. 'Shakuni' turns out to be more than a car; it filled an emotional void for her, became the only member in her happy family, and gave her a sense of purpose, identity, security, and belonging. They spent 64 years together taking part in numerous car rallies, winning hearts and awards alike; traveling thousands of kilometers across India co-sharing days, nights, and seasons. Her incredible passion for the automobile even repurposed her spirit of welfare and love for people. She relentlessly works, voluntarily, as a traffic controller for the last 20 years, managing traffic at busy junctions, schools, and community playground in the city of Pune. The cause has made her a local celebrity and she¡¯s been awarded numerous accolades. Active, agile, and exceptionally driven, unlike most people her age, she makes sure that she is a lady of substance, relevant, and increasingly indispensable to the community with her singular identity. Prabha lives alone in a tiny house, a museum of old trophies and car memorabilia, with engine parts sprawled across her living room. A blunder made by a mechanic two years back put an abrupt halt to this unique saga, making Prabha turn her life into a quest to revive Shakuni and participate in the biggest vintage car rally in India 21 Gun Salute Rally, Delhi. Shakuni has been almost made redundant by the progressive evolution of automobile technology and its survival does not seem to be an easy challenge. However, Prabha is making all efforts in her complex negotiation to put her beloved back on the road. Just when she starts moving forward in her journey, the fatal COVID-19 pandemic has stopped everything. For the first time in decades, Prabha is confined to her house. She is, without her rigorous routine, haunted by the panic that she is going to be redundant soon! Shakuni might not come back to life! This abrupt jolt has made her quest even more metaphoric. Prabha and Shakuni become one in the attempt to fight against losing purpose and being made redundant during the fear and anxiety the world is going through right now. The film explores an existential impasse of a lonely woman who carved out her incredible independence, and found her love and passion in a car that lived with her for six decades.
A chance encounter led to an immediate friendship with Prabha three years back. Prabha lives 500 meters away from my film school hostel, and I met her while volunteering for a local NGO. Her openness and warmth drew me in and by the time I knew her story I was in complete awe. We kept meeting for tea and lunches. Soon, I was chaperoning her for social events she would get invited for, we would go for long walks and spend evenings together. I also became her personal videographer, almost the only regular human presence in her personal life. As my friendship with Prabha grew, my film school would go through a long hiatus of strikes and inactivity and I would spend those days staying with Prabha, visiting local sweet shops, and going for occasional long drives. Prabha and I have become family, a mutually acknowledged admiration which has given me complete access and acceptance from her end. In terms of my personal journey as well, I identify with Prabha for I am the first woman from my family to graduate college and the only person in my family and among my relatives to pursue a passion and not a job for sole socio-economic gains. I identify with the drive to create something meaningful in life and the never-ending curiosity towards avenues unexplored. My personal connection with Prabha is accentuated by my immense interest in her as a storyteller. Hers is an immensely rich, multi-faceted character-driven story that resonates with the larger existential meaning-making and inspires me endlessly. For the same reason, I believe I can do justice to her story. Our journey has become about two women trying to get her car Shakuni fixed and making a film along the way.
Vinita NEGI