The Odia music video Kaacha Kandhei, directed by independent filmmaker Snehasis Das, has been chosen for the Black Cat Awards International Film Festival, which will take place in Bolivia, South America.
The producers of Hausla Na Ruthe: The Stories Untold (2018), Kokoli: Fish Out of Water (2021), and Ghar Jaana Hai: The Stories Untold (2017) have sent an official email to Snehasis in this regard.
Additionally, Das was invited by the Black Cat Film Festival to a special screening of his music video Kacha Kandhei, which showed how a boy overcomes his inhibitions to assist a friend through her menstrual cycle.
Snehasis posted the wonderful news on his social media channel, saying,”
“Menstruation is a natural biological function. It is crucial for human existence. As a ‘not openly talked about’ issue, it silently reinforces the discriminations, superstitions and cultural taboos associated with it. Myths and restrictions around menstruation are one of the reasons behind unhygienic health practices too. There is nothing called ‘impure’ and ‘unholy’ around it, rather it’s the source of life. And Kaacha Kandhei is promoting that source of life to initiate open discussion on ‘Periods’ to end the taboo and stigma attached to it. #Let’sTalkPeriods!”
“Recently I visited Rayagada to be part of a film workshop where my music video Kacha Kandhei was screened. The workshop was meant for girls aged between 10 and 15. Being a man, I found it hard to raise the topic among girls. However, I was taken aback to find that they could easily understand the subject and discuss it to without any hesitation. I must say things have changed over the years. Still taboo is there in some rural pockets which we want to end through my video”, he stated.
Snehasis further added, “We have been practising menstrual hygiene for ages. When it comes to Odisha, we celebrate Raja, a festival exclusively for women and young girls, since time immemorial. Raja is observed to celebrate Mother Earth’s annual period days. Gone were days when menstruating girls and women were given a separate room to reside and used old cotton sarees as pads when they attained puberty. Through the music video, all I want to bring changes in our thought process.”
Susmita Das and Antara Chakraborty, two of Odisha’s most talented singers, provided the voices for the music video, which stars actors Suryamayee and Abhishek Giri in crucial parts, and which was written by the famous Devdas Chhotaray and composed by Abhijeet Mishra.
Sneha Mishra from the company Aaina planned and created the music video.
Prasanta Patnaik