THE SCAPEGOAT

About the film

A young firebrand woman decides to stand up against the patriarchy and hate politics that has begun to infiltrate her rural Bengali village and threatens to destroy her way of life.

Filmmaker's Statement

The last few years have been harrowing for me. And I am sure for many Indians, especially the minorities, who feel threatened every step of their way. They have been lynched or murdered in broad daylight. Today, India is gripped by fear. Unfortunately, this is not the India I grew up in or have known. People are now only identified by their religion. And with that, we have seen the increase of abuse against women! Bigotry and patriarchy walk hand in hand. Be it sexual violence or domestic violence, the plight of most Indian women is unfathomable. Most women feel unsafe walking the streets, especially in small towns and villages. The disturbing 'male gaze' has devoured them completely. And this is where cinema comes in for me! I think cinema is an important tool to resist the bigots. Cinema of resistance should thrive in full glory. At difficult times like these, we all need to come out and make the world a better place by telling stories of the time. Dhulo is my expression of anger and pain. It is a story that I needed to tell to liberate myself emotionally. This film came from a restless filmmaker and a restless Indian citizen.

About the director

A Berlinale Talents 2021 alumnus, Tathagata has always believed in telling stories of people, who do not have a voice of their own. His last short films Miss Man, Mangsho (The Meat) and Doitto (The Demon) have travelled to many international film festivals like BFI Flare, Out on Film, Coalition of South Asian Film Festivals (CoSAFF), Tallgrass Film Festival, Cheries-Cheris, Wicked Queer, International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala to name a few.