SYNOPSIS
Set in 2002, eight-year-old Ade resides in a Nagaland village with his mother, father, and brother. His father, a low-ranking constable, drowns his sorrows in alcohol, while his mother sells local rice beer to make ends meet. One Sunday, Ade joins his best friend and partner in crime, Abu. Together, the boys skip Sunday school to swim in a nearby pond. Their plan, however, is disrupted when an adult chases them away. With time to spare and no backup plan, the boys’ curiosity leads them down a path where they encounter the adult world for the first time.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
Ade was a boy I knew during my childhood, and revisiting him was akin to taking a nostalgic journey down memory lane. The scriptwriting process flowed effortlessly, as if I were simply weaving together fragments of my own memories. The challenge I faced was striking the right balance between recalling genuine memories and incorporating elements of fiction into the narrative. From the very beginning, it was clear to me that capturing the story on 16mm film was essential. The characters, the world they inhabit, and the narrative itself are all deeply rooted in nostalgia, and no other medium could have done justice to the story like 16mm. Working with non-actors has always been a pleasure for me. Seeing people who have never set foot on a film set dedicate their time and energy, and deliver such remarkable performances, brings me immense joy.