Uploaded July 2020 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
The art and politics of Koothu, a living theatre tradition from Tamil Nadu, through the work of masters P. Rajagopal and Sambandan Thambiran. Screened at festivals in Chennai, Madurai, Thrissur and Trivandrum.
Directed by Sandhya Kumar | 2018
Producer and Commissioning Editor- Rajiv Mehrotra
Sandhya Kumar is a Film and Communications graduate from the San Francisco Art Institute and Jamia Millia University. Her documentary O Friend, This Waiting! won the National Film Award for its unconventional exploration of the Devadasi tradition in South India. Sandhya is a trustee of Vikalp Bengaluru, a filmmakers collective committed to creating platforms for documentary films to reach wider audiences.
Rajiv Mehrotra is the founding Managing Trustee and Commissioning Editor of PSBT - his films have won more than 300 awards worldwide, including 32 in 31 years from the President of India. His nine books are available in 50 languages and editions. He serves as the Trustee/ Secretary of the Foundation for Universal Responsibility of HH the Dalai Lama (For more, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajiv_Mehrotra).
PSBT is a not-for-profit that has nurtured and supported the production of independent documentary films by a diversity of filmmakers from across India. Over two decades, it has produced close to 700 documentary films, each film averaging two film festival selections and every second film an award. (Read more here: www.psbt.org, civilsocietyonline.com/cinema/psbt-story-630-films-230-awards-400-filmmakers/, psbt.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/OnGlobalScreens-Article.pdf, thehindu.com/features/cinema/in-the-channels-of-trust/article3942019.ece, psbt.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/PSBT-Real-Films-on-Real-India.jpg)
PSBT is led by some of India's iconic film personalities - Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Mrinal Sen, Shyam Benegal, Sharmila Tagore, with Fali Nariman and Kiran Karnik. From its inception in 2000, Tulika Srivastava was a key member of the Team, joined in 2005, by Ridhima Mehra.
Credits
Associate Director: Justin McCarthy
Assistant Director: Grace Mary Sukanya
Cinematographers: Srikanth Kabothu, Saumyananda Sahi
Location Sound Recordists: Christopher Burchell, Shyamsunder
Editor: Sandhya Kumar
Titles and Graphic Designer: Anand Kalpakassery
Tamil Translators: T. Jayashree, Magdaline Tiruba
Colour Corrrection: Amith Surendran
Produced by PSBT, for and in partnership with Doordarshan India.
psbt.org/; ddindia.gov.in
For festival and screening queries, please write to us at distribution@psbt.org
Last updated: June 2020
The art and politics of Koothu, a living theatre tradition from Tamil Nadu, through the work of masters P. Rajagopal and Sambandan Thambiran. Screened at festivals in Chennai, Madurai, Thrissur and Trivandrum.
Directed by Sandhya Kumar | 2018
Producer and Commissioning Editor- Rajiv Mehrotra
Sandhya Kumar is a Film and Communications graduate from the San Francisco Art Institute and Jamia Millia University. Her documentary O Friend, This Waiting! won the National Film Award for its unconventional exploration of the Devadasi tradition in South India. Sandhya is a trustee of Vikalp Bengaluru, a filmmakers collective committed to creating platforms for documentary films to reach wider audiences.
Rajiv Mehrotra is the founding Managing Trustee and Commissioning Editor of PSBT - his films have won more than 300 awards worldwide, including 32 in 31 years from the President of India. His nine books are available in 50 languages and editions. He serves as the Trustee/ Secretary of the Foundation for Universal Responsibility of HH the Dalai Lama (For more, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajiv_Mehrotra).
PSBT is a not-for-profit that has nurtured and supported the production of independent documentary films by a diversity of filmmakers from across India. Over two decades, it has produced close to 700 documentary films, each film averaging two film festival selections and every second film an award. (Read more here: www.psbt.org, civilsocietyonline.com/cinema/psbt-story-630-films-230-awards-400-filmmakers/, psbt.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/OnGlobalScreens-Article.pdf, thehindu.com/features/cinema/in-the-channels-of-trust/article3942019.ece, psbt.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/PSBT-Real-Films-on-Real-India.jpg)
PSBT is led by some of India's iconic film personalities - Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Mrinal Sen, Shyam Benegal, Sharmila Tagore, with Fali Nariman and Kiran Karnik. From its inception in 2000, Tulika Srivastava was a key member of the Team, joined in 2005, by Ridhima Mehra.
Credits
Associate Director: Justin McCarthy
Assistant Director: Grace Mary Sukanya
Cinematographers: Srikanth Kabothu, Saumyananda Sahi
Location Sound Recordists: Christopher Burchell, Shyamsunder
Editor: Sandhya Kumar
Titles and Graphic Designer: Anand Kalpakassery
Tamil Translators: T. Jayashree, Magdaline Tiruba
Colour Corrrection: Amith Surendran
Produced by PSBT, for and in partnership with Doordarshan India.
psbt.org/; ddindia.gov.in
For festival and screening queries, please write to us at distribution@psbt.org
Last updated: June 2020
