SRIJAN is a quietly powerful Bengali short film, officially released by the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival (DPIFF), that explores the emotional weight of returning home—not as nostalgia, but as an act of responsibility and care.

Set in a rural village of Bengal where time moves slowly and memory binds the land together, the film follows Phalguni, a man who returns from the city after many years. Home welcomes him gently, yet with an unmistakable fragility—a mother who waits without complaint, a younger brother whose dreams point outward, and a village that is gradually losing its children to distant futures.

Rather than centering on loss alone, SRIJAN focuses on creation. Amid the quiet erosion of rural life, Phalguni feels an urge to build something meaningful in the present: a school that allows learning, imagination, and belonging to remain rooted at home. This desire is not driven by ambition, but by empathy—by the understanding that staying, too, requires courage.

Written, directed, shot, and edited by Hemaprabho Bhattacharyya, a 16-year-old self-taught filmmaker from India, SRIJAN reflects a deeply personal engagement with heritage, rural life, and emotional honesty. Made on a zero-budget approach without formal film school training, the film demonstrates that meaningful cinema does not require scale or spectacle—only sensitivity, patience, and truth.

Visually and sonically grounded in the textures of rural Bengal, SRIJAN uses natural light, earthy compositions, and classical Bengali soundscapes to create an intimate emotional landscape. Dialogue is minimal; gestures speak louder. The film treats returning home not as reclaiming the past, but as choosing to build a future without abandoning one’s roots.

As the filmmaker reflects, “At 16, I am still learning what home means to me. Srijan grew from the belief that returning isn’t about holding onto the past, but having the courage to build something meaningful where you belong.”

DPIFF proudly presents SRIJAN as part of its commitment to showcasing culturally rooted, human-centered cinemathat reflects lived realities with honesty and care.

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