Director K Praful Chandra ropes in Samyuktha to narrate the short, Keep the Fire Alive, a story on changing the law in rape cases
(From left) K Praful Chandra and Samyuktha
Public outrage after every rape case is restricted to protests and candle marches. But is there more we can do? Writer-director K Praful Chandra, inspired by the RG Kar Medical College incident in 2024, shows the way forward with his short film, Keep the Fire Alive. While the story was in place, the director was still searching for a face to support it. He turned to director Charantej Uppalapati, who is making the Kajol and Samyuktha-starrer Maharagini: Queen of Queens, for help. “I love supporting women that’s why I am making Maharagini on women empowerment. I showed Samyuktha the short and she came on board as she is well-versed in this space,” shares Uppalapati. Samyuktha runs the NGO Adi Shakti that advocates for women empowerment.
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Charantej Uppalapati
Chandra explains that usually, after an incident, there is public outrage and, after a few days, everything goes back to normal until another incident shocks the world, like the Nirbhaya case. “When the RG Kar Medical [rape case] happened in Kolkata, I didn’t find any content which resonated with what I was feeling. I didn’t want to share something and forget about it. My short film, inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s principles, focuses on changing our laws and building a conscious future where there’s no place for such atrocities.” He hopes to present the short as a public service announcement (PSA) in theatres. “After CBFC’s approval, we want to take the consent of the local and central governments to make it a part of the theatre curriculum,” he says of the short written by Safa A.
A still from Keep the Fire Alive
Charantej Uppalapati’s film
Kajol as Maya in Maharagini
Maharagini: Queen of Queens is a revenge drama centered on Maya, played by Kajol, a woman on a mission for vengeance. The film marks her reunion with Prabhu Deva after 28 years.
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