The Connection (2011)

Rajashree's black and white film, The Connection is set against the backdrop of communal riots. No blood and gore here, just an outpouring of emotion when Anita (Neena Singh) is told that her brother has been killed in a riot in her hometown. Pregnant, unable to travel home, she confronts her grief alone as her husband leaves for the funeral. Fuelled by her friends, she turns out her Muslim neighbour's young son (Ashwin Chitale), who loves watching cartoon network in her house. Struck by what she has done, she begs his forgiveness and bribes him with khakra back to her house, the TV, and her heart. 'Pankaj Kumar's black and white gritty photography for The Connection foregrounds how much filmmakers have progressed both technically and in understanding cinematic language. - renews hope that beyond the glitz and hype of Bollywood, there is incredible talent waiting in the wings,' - Sonjoy Roy, Tehelka. 'The Connection by Rajashree pours the syrup of humanity over thorny communal discords,' - Mumbai Mirror. 'Like her debut film, The Rebel, Rajashree's charming second fictional short is also in black and white. The film-maker has a keen eye for middle-class lives and habitats, and The Connection gets its milieu just right,' - Time Out.