Production Notes

I developed Kunjo in the Spring of 2007, but prior to that I had visited my family in the village in 2004. During this time I met two young girls who came to beg from the small refugee encampment close by. The girls were very young and shy, barefoot with dirty braids and old torn dresses. I asked them if I could photograph them. At first timid, they began to open up. My camera became the tool for breaking their silence and a way in which we could communicate. They frequently visited me, and I slowly began to learn about their lives. When I returned to the U.S., their image stuck with me and I began to develop a film based on their stories and my own personal stories growing up in the village.

I returned to India in the Spring of 2008 to begin production. On the day that I arrived, my aunt told me that two young girls were there to visit me, Pooja and Kunjo. I didn’t know who they were, but when I came downstairs I saw the two young beggar girls that I had met in 2004. My aunt told me that for the past four years, they had returned frequently to ask her when ‘didi’ (sister) would be back. Within a few days, I knew that I had to cast Pooja as the lead role of “Kunjo.” She was not only perfect for the role, she was who I had originally based the character on. I was certain that I would need to cast other girls for these roles, thinking they would have moved away to another refugee community, or even possibly have been married off.

Shot on High Definition Video, primarily with natural light, Kunjo was shot entirely on location. Although there were planned shot lists, much of the film was shot spontaneously, with the children’s actions directing the movement of the camera. The film was scripted, but much of the acting was improvised in order to collaborate with the children and keep the action and dialogue authentic.

Prior to shooting, we held workshops for the children who would be involved in the project. These workshops lasted for two weeks and were open to both children of the village and the Jhugie. This was instrumental in getting the two different groups of kids to break boundaries of discrimination and work together. The workshops included a group of 15 to 30 kids, from the ages of 7-15 and involved different forms of storytelling; including song, dance, acting, directing, drawing, still photography and cinematography. For most of these children, this was the first time that they had ever been in a class-like setting and given assignments.

From the workshops, we cast the actors. We signed contracts with all of the families to make sure they would let their children participate until the end of production. This was important since many of the families live nomadically throughout the year.

Production for Kunjo was completed in June of 2008. The crew shared two small rooms in my family’s 200 year old home for three months. I was lucky enough to have a crew that stuck by me even though production was constantly affected by 120 degree heat, dust storms, cobras, wasps, and rabid dogs. With a cast and crew that was fully determined to make the best film possible, we were able to complete production on schedule. It was a life-changing experience for both the cast and the crew, breaking cultural barriers between villager and refugee, Punjabi and Rajasthani, Indian and American.