Powerless

Sparks will fly

Directed by Farah Mustafa and Deepti Kakkar

About

The feature documentary, directed by Fahad Mustafa and Deepti Kakkar, is set in Kanpur, India’s former leather capital where blackouts frequently take up more of the time in some districts than hours of normal electrical service.

That is why Loha Singh – a latter-day Robin Hood – has made it his life’s task to supply the poorer families and ruffled small-time entrepreneurs with power in such a bizarre manner. His direct adversary is the woman at the top of the state energy supplier Kesco, but Mrs. Ritu Maheshwari is by no means the villain in this film. In fact the two protagonists are merely the lead dancers in an absurd operetta.

Powerless is a documentary film about the electrical supply in an Indian city, the story unfurling along the tangled wires and tracing out lines of conflict of a diabolical complexity, that unfolds in several towns and cities across the country.

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Press

New York Times Review

Talking Movies BBC World News

Tribeca Film Festival 2013 – Critics Top 5 Indiewire

“This is a beautifully executed documentary that captures the tension of a thought-provoking issue without creating one-dimensional heroes or villains. The story of power in Kanpur, told in its honest entirety, will provide a truly valuable learning experience to Western audiences.” Sam Spokony, Chelsea Now

Testimonial

We are proud of our association with WorldView and grateful to them for having faith in our project and for helping us tell our story to the world” Deepti Kakkar, Director.

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