''Admitted'' is a 2020 Indian Hindi-language
docudrama
Docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of television and film, which features dramatized re-enactments of actual events. It is described as a hybrid of documentary and drama and "a fact-based representation of real event".
Docudramas typic ...
film directed by
Chandigarh
Chandigarh () is a planned city in India. Chandigarh is bordered by the state of Punjab to the west and the south, and by the state of Haryana to the east. It constitutes the bulk of the Chandigarh Capital Region or Greater Chandigarh, which al ...
-based director Ojaswwee Sharma. The film is about Dhananjay Chauhan, the first transgender student at
Panjab University
Panjab University (PU) is a Collegiate university, collegiate public state university located in Chandigarh, Punjab. Funded through both Punjab, India, State and Government of India, Union governments, it is considered a state university (Indi ...
.
The role of Dhananjay Chauhan has been played by Dhananjay herself.
''Admitted'' was declared best documentary at 17th
Mumbai International Film Festival
The Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films (MIFF) is a festival organized in the city of Mumbai (formerly Bombay) by the Films Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. It ...
, and won the Silver Conch award for Best Documentary Film (above 60 minutes) in the National Competition section.
It won the
National Film Award – Special Jury Award (feature film)
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
at the
68th National Film Awards
The 68th National Film Awards ceremony was an event during which the Directorate of Film Festivals presented its annual National Film Awards to honour the best films of 2020 in Indian cinema. The awards ceremony was originally slated to be held ...
.
Plot
The film, narrated by Dhananjay Chauhan, tells the story of five decades of the life of Dhananjay, a doctoral scholar at
Panjab University
Panjab University (PU) is a Collegiate university, collegiate public state university located in Chandigarh, Punjab. Funded through both Punjab, India, State and Government of India, Union governments, it is considered a state university (Indi ...
It focuses on Dhananjay's struggles to uplift her life and the transgender community to mainstream society.
It also depicts Dhananjay's crusade against authorities for the transgenders.
Production
Produced by Pinaka Mediaworks, the film was announced in August 2018. The film was shot in and around Panjab University campus. The film is around two-hour long.
Director Ojaswwee Sharma, also an alumnus of Panjab University, said in the interview that he "wanted to explore this famous example of transgender education in a mainstream public university in North India, and the development of transgender rights, education and acceptance to the mainstream".
Release
The film was to release in March 2020 on
International Transgender Day of Visibility
International Transgender Day of Visibility (often referred to as TDOV or Trans Day of Visibility) is an annual event occurring on March 31 dedicated to celebrating transgender people and raising awareness of discrimination faced by transgender ...
, but due to
COVID-19 lockdown in India
On the evening of 24 March 2020, the Government of India ordered a nationwide lockdown for 21days, limiting movement of the entire 1.38billion (138 crore) population of India as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 pandemic in India. It wa ...
, the release was delayed. It was released on Rolling Frames Entertainment's YouTube channel on 13 June 2020.
Reception
''Admitted'' won the Silver Conch award for Best Documentary Film at 17th
Mumbai International Film Festival
The Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films (MIFF) is a festival organized in the city of Mumbai (formerly Bombay) by the Films Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. It ...
.
The jury noted "film's forceful and brave lead character, and how the subject has been dealt with by the filmmaker".
The film also won the
National Film Award – Special Jury Award (feature film)
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
at
68th National Film Awards
The 68th National Film Awards ceremony was an event during which the Directorate of Film Festivals presented its annual National Film Awards to honour the best films of 2020 in Indian cinema. The awards ceremony was originally slated to be held ...
.
The film was also shown at several film festivals including NFDC Film Bazaar, Goa; Jagran Film Festival, Mumbai; Bioscope Global Film Festival, Amritsar; Tarang - Delhi International Queer Theatre & Film Festival; and Impact Doc Awards, California.
References
External links
*
{{National Film Award Special Jury Award feature film
2020 documentary films
Indian docudrama films
Transgender-related documentary films
Biographical documentary films
2020 LGBT-related films
Indian LGBT-related films