Director: Vivek Chaudhary
Country: India
Language: Hindi | Rajasthani
Year: 2025
Run Time: 82 mins
Justice, Family, and the Perils of Speaking Truth to Power
The divergent paths of poppy farmer Vardibai and her activist son Mangilal intertwine in this documentary about a Dalit family’s resistance against systemic oppression. As Vardibai nurtures her poppy cultivation with her grandsons, Mangilal fearlessly confronts corrupt officials, his actions contributing to the successful jailing of high-ranking members of the Narcotics Bureau. His campaign brings temporary triumph, then devastating consequences when authorities revoke his mother’s farming licence, plunging the family into deeper hardship.
Director:
Vivek Chaudhary is an award-winning director, producer and writer whose films have been shown at Hot Docs, IDFA Bertha Fund, The French National Centre for Cinema (CNC), Lisbon Docs, DOK Leipzig, Hong Kong Asian Festival and DMZ Docs. His debut documentary, a mid-length film titled Goonga Pehelwan (The Mute Wrestler), won the Indian National Film Award in the year 2015 and was screened at 24 film festivals all over the globe, picking up many awards. His debut-feature I, Poppy won the Best International Feature Award at Hot Docs, 2025.
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