Written and Directed by Nigiil Akkaraa
Set against the haunting backdrop of Rajasthan’s desert villages, Kala Jaadu unravels the life of a group of *rudaalis*—women bound by tradition to mourn the dead for others while being denied the right to grieve their own suffering. What begins as their silent endurance of generational bondage transforms into an uprising against the very forces that chained them: the rigid caste hierarchy, the cruelty of child marriage, the silence around female infanticide, and the social stigma that robs widows of dignity.
Through a blend of raw emotion, evocative music, and piercing dialogues, Kala Jaadu traces their journey from shadows of despair to flames of defiance. The rudaalis discover strength in sisterhood, challenging customs that treated them as mere vessels of sorrow. Their rebellion is not only against the oppressive norms but also against the “black magic” (kala jaadu) of fear and silence that kept them shackled for centuries.
A story of pain, resilience, and liberation, Kala Jaadu confronts uncomfortable truths of tradition while celebrating the indomitable spirit of women who dare to rewrite their destiny.
STORY, SCRIPT, CONCEPT – NIGIIL AKKARAA
Light – Soumen Chakraborty
Sound – Bandhan Mishra
Makeup – Ibrahim
Set and art- Ambarish Das
Special Effects – Jishu
Script Assistant – Sarbani Ghosh Basu
Project coordinator – Surajit Das
Artists: SharanyaBasu(protagonist), Kakoli Das, Kalpana Das,
Monika Mondal, Priyanka Neogi, Sayantani Mukherjee, Priti Jana, Rima Mukherjee,
Tanusree Chakraborty, Upasana Bar, Aryaa Banerjee, Satyanath Chakraborty, Arko
Sen, Arijit Mitra, Kaushik Singha, Subharun Basu, Sushil Das.