Chumpa: A Doll Under The Basket

In a patriarchal society where the birth of a son is celebrated, my mother bore the silent wounds of birthing six daughters. After years of prayers, I was born, her redemption in a world that judged her worth by the sons she never had. As she sang songs of triumph, my sisters’ laughter faded into silence, smothered by the weight of bias. I drank milk; they drank water. I wore new clothes; they patched old rags. I studied, singing my country’s glory, while they labored in forests, their voices heavy with sorrow. Over time, our paths split; mine burst with color, theirs faded into gray. Now, as a teacher, I still see that same quiet pain in the eyes of young girls, especially my unfortunate students. Their dreams are stolen, their lives reduced to mere displays for men’s fleeting pleasure. In this cruel theater, society offers them color, lipstick, fine clothes, gold, and feasts, but only on their wedding day. But will this forced color ever bring true vibrance to their lives? I am counting the days, still waiting for an answer from the very society that stole their hues.

Rajesh Prasad Khatri is a self-taught filmmaker and primary school teacher. His debut short film, A Curious Girl (2017), won Best Film in the Generation Kplus section at the Berlinale International Film Festival in 2018. His second short, A Scarecrow (2020), received the President’s Special Recognition Story Pitching Award (AFA-MPA), won the 75th UNICEF Iris Award at the UNICEF Innocenti Film Festival, and premiered at the Busan International Film Festival. His third short film, A Doll Under the Basket (2026), produced by Flicker Arts Entertainment, will have its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival. An alumnus of the Asian Film Academy and Berlinale Talents, Khatri is developing his first feature film, Black and White Photo, which has been selected for the Asian Project Market (APM), Berlinale Talents Script Station, Festival des 3 Continents – Produire au Sud, LA Residency (GMM), and Gograha Residency. The project also received the Script Development Fund from the Asian Cinema Fund (ACF). He is simultaneously developing another feature film under the production of Flicker Arts Entertainment The Speechless Mountain.