Kannada film 'Shivamma' bag major award at Busan Film Festival
Another Indian film 'The Winter Within' also among awards
New Delhi (PTI): Kannada movie "Shivamma" and actor-director Aamir Bashir's "The Winter Within" have won trophies at the 2022 Busan International Film Festival.
"Shivamma", directed by first-time filmmaker Jaishankar Aryar, won the New Currents Award along with the Korean title "A Wild Roomer".
Bashir's "The Winter Within" was adjudged the winner of KB New Currents Audience Award during the festival's closing ceremony on Friday.
"Shivamma" chronicles the story of a poor, middle-aged woman sales representative for an energy drink company. It features Sharanamma Chetti and Chennamma Abbegere, and is produced by "Kantara" star-filmmaker Rishab Shetty.
According to festival organisers, the New Currents Award is given to the two best feature films selected from the first or second feature of new Asian directors introduced in the New Currents section of the festival. It carries a grand prize of USD 30,000 for each film.
"We appreciated the originality and intensity with which the director was able to tell this very contemporary story. Here documentary and fiction meet in an organic and spirited way of making cinema.
"The generosity of the actors and the scenes create a closeness with this universal story that takes place in an Indian village," the jury, which included world-renowned film experts, said in a note shared on the festival website.
Aryar, who hails from Bengaluru, celebrated his debut film's win in a post on Instagram.
"Delighted to share the wonderful news that the new currents award of 27th Busan film festival goes to 'Shivamma'. The first Kannada film to win this honour," the filmmaker said.
Bashir's "The Winter Within" is his second directorial effort after he made his debut with 2010's National Award-winning Urdu movie "Harud".
It took home the KB New Currents Audience Award, which is given to the title that is most highly rated by festival audiences from the New Currents section.
The award carries a prize of USD 18,000 for the director.
"The Winter Within" is set in Bashir's native Kashmir, where small and big skirmishes and terrorist activities occur frequently due to the long conflict between India and Pakistan, as well as the border dispute with China, as per the official description on the website.
The story follows a domestic helper, named Nargis, who looks everywhere to find out whether her husband Manzoor, who was arrested after joining the armed rebellion, is dead or alive.
"She is fired when her employer learns that Manzoor is a militant. She returns to her hometown, and Yaseen, who has feelings for her, offers help. Then one day, Manzoor comes home, and the three of them experience subtle emotional changes," the official synopsis read.
Bashir, known for appearing in films and shows such as "A Wednesday", "Haider" and "Sacred Games", penned the movie's screenplay with filmmaker Shanker Raman. The two had earlier collaborated on Raman's 2017 acclaimed directorial "Gurgaon".
Earlier, filmmaker Vinay Shukla's documentary While We Watched , featuring news anchor Ravish Kumar, won the Cinephile Award at the film gala. The honour is given to the best Korean and Asian documentary film presented in the Wide Angle documentary showcase section.
While We Watched , which had its Asia premiere at Busan, is described as a turbulent newsroom drama that intimately chronicles the working days of broadcast journalist Kumar as he navigates a spiralling world of truth and disinformation.
The 27th edition of the Busan International Film Festival was held from October 5 to 14.
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Telangana survey flags 89,000 child labourers, highlights caste disparities in employment
Hyderabad: A caste-based survey conducted by the Telangana government for 2024–25 has identified around 89,000 children engaged in labour across the state, with a large share belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities.
The findings are part of the Socio, Economic, Educational, Employment, Political and Caste (SEEEPC) Survey, which covered about 3.5 crore people across 242 caste groups. According to the report, nearly one per cent of individuals below 18 years are involved in daily wage work. While the percentage appears small, officials noted that the absolute number reflects a serious concern.
The survey found that 11 per cent of identified child labourers belong to the ST Lambadi community, while 14 per cent are from the SC Madiga community. The highest incidence was reported among the ST Kolam group, where 7.2 per cent of minors are engaged in daily wage labour.
The data also revealed wider socio-economic disparities. Nearly half of the Scheduled Caste population is dependent on daily wage work, while only around 5 per cent are employed in the private sector, compared to about 30 per cent among General Castes.
State Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said the findings show that SC and ST communities remain three times more backward than General Castes, while Backward Classes are about 2.7 times more disadvantaged.
The report further noted that, on average, 31.3 per cent of people in the 25–65 age group depend on daily wage work. Among communities, the BC-A Odde group recorded the highest share at 55 per cent. In contrast, only 2.6 per cent of OC Brahmins rely on such work.
Several SC and ST communities, including Kolam, Beda, Madiga, Koya, Gond, Yerukulas and Mala Sale, were found to have among the highest proportions of daily wage earners. On the other hand, most General Caste communities and some Backward Class groups such as Goldsmiths and BC-C Christians showed lower dependence on daily wage employment.
The survey also pointed to inequalities in access to formal employment. Communities such as OC Rajus, OC Brahmins and Kapus were found to have a higher presence in private sector jobs, with up to 27 per cent of their population employed in such roles.
