Caste has long found expression in Indian art, sometimes overt, sometimes subtle, often filtered through dominant narratives. In recent years, we see many artistes from marginalised communities reclaiming space to tell their own stories, on their own terms – unapologetically across films, plays, music and more. It is within this evolving place that city-based theatre practitioner Chandrasekhar K’s Song of Ghetto, a documentary rooted in caste oppression, which recently won the PK Rosy film festival award, emerges.
“This 33-minute docu film comes from a real incident in 2021, where my friend Santhosh, a Dalit theatre artiste, was denied entry into a temple in his own village,” he says. The incident, rooted in everyday caste discrimination, became the starting point of a larger exploration. Coming from the same background, Chandrasekhar, with his cumulative experiences, had an intuitive calling to show the prevailing caste issues that are pushing people backwards as the world moves ahead in 2026. “Ghetto is another word for keri (where the oppressed communities live),” he adds.
Before it became a film, Song of Ghetto existed as a play. And Chandrashekar, with no filmmaking background, wanted to show the oppression through theatre, the only form of art he knew back then. With people from the same community, from children to elders, as actors, the play was woven with their own stories. with around 35 people in the team. Performed across cities, the play first laid the foundation for what would later become a personal documentary.
While transitioning it to film, he approached the process with pure instinct rather than giving too much focus on its technicality. “I don’t know filmmaking. I only had my phone and nearly 20 hours of footage, and I pieced together narratives rooted in real conversations with the people on their lived experiences, the issues they faced when they entered the temple, why they were boycotted, and on feudalism,” he shares. And this approach defines the film’s raw, unfiltered quality, as he further adds, “I just tried to tell what I saw. I was simply shooting it. For me, the strength of the subject is more important than the medium. You don’t need big cameras to tell the truth.”
Song of Ghetto is not just about documenting suffering, but about widening awareness. “This film is not only for those who suffered – it is for others to understand that caste is still a reality. For upper caste people to understand, for future generations to become aware,” he says. The responses he has received reinforce this, as he shares. “ Even now, people talk about politics, we are doing many protests, but nothing really changes. Even in Bengaluru, people ask if you eat veg or non-veg, your full name to understand your caste.”
Talking further on the prevalence of addressing such sensitive topics and realities, Chandrasekhar is clear about the role of art. “Art should not just protest; it should make people think and question. Art practice can present things differently. When asked if films portray caste oppression, he clenches, pointing to the lack of authentic presence in Kannada films. “Caste-based films like Landlord and Hebbuli Cut, which are based on Dr BR Ambedkar’s philosophy, have a lot of anger in them. The trailer depicts that if you want to save the country, you have to kill.. Ambedkar never spoke about violence. He spoke about education, building society, and questioning,” he says.
Now, with the film’s recent recognition at the PK Rosy Film Festival, Chennai, has brought wider attention, but for Chandrasekhar, the achievement is collective. “This recognition belongs to the community that shared their stories. If the next generation understands this issue, I hope change is possible,” he affirms.