BENGALURU: A teenaged girl struggles with her period and rushes to the toilet for water, only to find that the tap has run dry. Cut to a city, where a man is washing his car with water from a pipe. This juxtaposition of the usage of water in urban and rural contexts is the core in H2O, a short film that is just under five minutes. Made by Bengaluru-based founder of Theatre for Change Sujatha Balakrishnan, the film captures the struggle to obtain water in rural areas.
“The idea is to symbolically suggest the contrasting usage of water in rural and urban lifestyles. I am not dismissing the water issues that urban people face. However, tankers are just a call away when they fall short of water, which is not the case in rural areas,” says the 68-year-old theatreperson.Balakrishnan believes that it is important to capture viewers’ attention within a short span of time and deliver a strong message. “An average individual consumes 50 litres of water every day. We use five litres of water for every flush. This story aims to awaken the social conscience of the youth and calls for responsible management of water,” she says.
Balakrishnan, for whom social issues have always been important, is already planning another project on motherhood likely to be released on Mother’s Day (May 9). “In a one-minute video, we want to feature mothers talking about what kind of space they want to raise their children in,” Balakrishnan says.H2O was shot in Baluvanahalli village in Chikkaballapur and Jayanagar in Bengaluru, in the first week of March and was released on March 22, to coincide with World Water Day. The cast, comprising around 12 people, were all non-actors.
The film was produced by Theatre for Change collective along with Greennote films and Owl creations. The film was directed by Sujatha Balakrishnan and Aniruddh Roy. Editing and camera work was handled by Lakshman Sastry from Greennote films. The film is available on the You Tube channel of Theatre for Change.