CHHAYA, a short film

Overview

When a timid South Asian woman is haunted by violent, Bollywood-esque daydreams, she is forced to grapple with her past, bringing her face-to-face with the darkness she buried.

Sophiyaa Nayar wrote CHHAYA to explore how a traumatic event can so easily transform our experiences of the ordinary. And the things we do to escape from it.

About the Director/Writer

Sophiyaa Nayar, having lived in New Delhi, India until she was 12 and then traveling through various communities and exploring performance practices from all over the world for the rest of her upbringing, Sophiyaa understands theatre and film as hybrids. She creates interdisciplinary and genre-bending work that challenges existing narratives surrounding (im)migration.

You can learn more about her at sophiyaanayar.net

Director's Statement

A lot of survivors of sexual assault talk about dissociation. This feeling of stepping out of our bodies to watch ourselves experience something painful. That, coupled with a desire to return to the "scene of the crime" and alter it somehow. CHHAYA dives into those two feelings and explores them through a darkly comedic and surrealist lens.

The script brings together the epic action of movies like RRR with the otherworldly elements of Pan's Labyrinth. Through a combination of practical and visual effects, the film hopes to transport the audience into a fantastical world that is steeped in bollywood and tollywood tropes. All while depicting the dissociation that survivors experience, through a newer lens. Bending the genre of not only male-dominant Indian action movies (the "angry young man" trope), but also the classic tropes of sexual assault in films. It challenges us to revel in the over-the-top dreaming that comes when Jiya takes control of her own narrative.

The only thing that stands between the team working on CHHAYA and the completion of this film is, of course, funding! To finish bringing our dream vision to life, we need to raise $15K. This funding would allow us to compensate our cast and crew, rent the gear we need to make the vision, food on set, production design, film festival submission costs, etc!

Thank you so much for reading this far. It would mean so much to us if you can spread the word and share our fundraiser link with your friends and colleagues. If you are inspired by the story please consider donating. Just $5 goes a long way, and we'd be so grateful for your support.

The success of this campaign will lead to a finished proof of concept short film, and we hope eventually after that, a feature film.

Thank you thank you thank you thank you. And please, feel free to follow us on social @cheesedosaproductions for regular updates on the film.

***No raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or promotions are offered in exchange for any donations made to this GoFundMe.***