Write a short summary of what happens in the film

Nisha plays herself in the re-enactment of her true life story. Through her surprisingly witty narration, we uncover her guiding principles of never judging a book by its cover, and that love, compassion and equality can help overcome the greatest of hurdles in life.   This is also a film about parenting. Nisha walks us through endearing glimpses from her childhood, interspersed with what appear to be daily routines, but are much more challenging for young Nisha. It is these simple day to day activities that are made easier because of the care and attention she receives from her parents. This film is also about a young girl's effortless conviction in life itself, that enables her to live as normally as possible. But, Nisha’s life also bears a magical little secret - a secret that breathes hope to a larger issue in India today.

Cultural/Context information for the jury

India today has over 29 millions orphans. Having said this, ‘adoption’ is almost always treated as a last resort whenever a couple is unable to 'naturally' conceive. To add further complexity, parents who do consider adoption would never have the courage to adopt a child with a disability. Armed with this powerful cultural insight, we attempted to capture a true, honest and culturally sensitive film about a girl who was adopted despite her physical disability and brought up in the most normal manner possible, by her loving parents and siblings. It is this treatment that allowed the film to permeate into the mainstream consciousness of India, in the last 6 months. The thesis that we wanted to explore was that ‘every child, no matter what his/her physical and mental condition, deserves a touch of care’ and an equal chance to fulfil their birth-right to a respectable existence.

Tell the jury anything relevant about the direction. Do not name the director.

The direction approach was: (1) to have love, hope and joy as the primary emotions of the story, (2) to recreate am absolutely authentic, safe and trusting environment in order to have the cast function in their familiar spaces, (3) to familiarise all non-actors with the camera so as to gain unprecedented proximity without discomfort and (4) to constantly engage with the young and present-day (real) Nisha in reliving familiar emotions that form the basis of her story.   Frequent visits were made by the director to Nisha’s house, with the intention to become someone they trusted implicitly. This process of the director allowed for the story to capture performances that reach into the deepest and purest emotions of everyone involved in order to recreate a girl’s life without any burden of forced sadness or sympathy. It had to be a film that provoked pure, truthful joy.