Aājoor is the first feature film ever made in the Bajjika language, spoken by over 20 million people in India and Nepal. Set in rural Bihar, one of India’s largest states and a region marked by high levels of unskilled migration, the film follows Saloni, a young girl navigating her inner world and social constraints while holding onto her desire for education.
The film was created entirely within an underprivileged rural community, without the support of traditional production houses. Through both the film and the work of the organisation behind it, Aājoor became a collective process of learning and participation. More than 100 children from the rural communities were directly involved in the production, gaining exposure to storytelling, performance, observation, and various creative skills in an attempt to gently interrupt the cycle of migration and limited opportunity through cinema. Aājoor offers a rare platform to a language, a region, and lived experiences that are often overlooked, even within India itself.
Aaryan Chandra Prakash | Film | India