Chuskit - Living with Disabilities Doesn’t Have To Mean Compromising to Limitations

Cast :Chuskit-Jigmet Dewa Lhamo; Dorje (Grandfather)-Morup Namgyal (Padma Shri);Tsering (Mother)Yanchen Dolma;Stobdan (Brother)-Padma Chospel;Sonam (Father)-SS Wangchuk; Norbu (Neighbour)-Tsetan Angchok; Angmo (Chuskit's friend);Stanzin Ngidon;Deskit -Chuskit's friend)Yanchen Dolma; Ahmad (Doctor)-Satyadeep Misra

Written and Directed by Priya Ramasubban

Produced by Priya Ramasubban

Director of Photography:Arvind Kannabiran

Production Design: Aradhana Seth

Costume Design: Deepali Kosta Kabi

Editor: Jabeen Merchant

Background Score: Mathias Duplessy

Sound Design:Satheesh PM

Chuskit is a heartwarming story of a young girl who with her feisty determination, along with the help of her family and community, breaks through the limitations imposed for people with disabilities.

Chuskit, who lives an idyllic life in this mountainous region of Ladakh, India, has a simple dream - of going to school with her friends, following in the footsteps of her older brother who is an exemplary student. But when an accident turns her into a paraplegic her dreams are cut short and she is confined at home.

Besides her  frustrations with her physical impediments, Chuskit also faces the strict old world rules of  her grandfather who believes in compromising to constraints and limitations, and restraining one’s dreams and aspirations.

But lucky for Chuskit, her inventive brother, her ever understanding parents, and her concerned therapist doctor, keep her spirits and hopes alive.  She keeps fighting the restrained reality her grandfather wants her to accept, and continues to dream that an almost normal life in-spite of her disabilities will be possible one day.

The story provides an exhilarating and inspiring narrative. With the heartrending and the  happy twists and turns of Chuskit's life and how  she eventually makes it to school  with the help of her family, community and the whole village,

The excellence of this  touching movie is enhanced by stellar debutante performance of  Jigmet Dewa Lhamo  as Chuskit, and other actors like Morup Namgyal playing the grand father, and Padma Chospel playing the brother. The photography and cinematography  deserve applause for capturing  the beauty of idyllic Ladakh in the story.

Lastly, the Filmmaker Priya Ramasubban’s efforts inspire and create impact while bringing in  the discussion of disabilities to mainstream attention in India. The film is inspired by heartwarming real-life events witnessed by Priya’s sister – Vidya, who worked with the differently-abled in Ladakh, and was instrumental in sending Sonam, a nine-year-old with cerebral palsy to school despite the arduous terrain in her remote Himalayan village. The film is based on the book written by  Vidhya’s friend, Sujatha Padmanabhan — Chuskit Goes To School (2011).

In Conversation with the film maker Priya Ramsubban  on Skype after the movie - When asked about - How life with disabilities is not easy in India. She gives a very encouraging answer, saying : “Accessibility and systems work well in the West, but in India and other Asian countries,  people and communities make things work even where systems may not exist!” . 

Hopefully movies like these motivate and influence the mindfulness of people in South Asian countries to empathize with the needs of disabilities and their desire for normal independent lives. And work to create better accessibility infrastructure which is very lacking compared to the western world and change the psyche and outlook towards people with disabilities.

The Indiememe Film festival of 2019 had a soft opening on Sunday April 14 with a showing of some short films made by students in the Austin community , a long short film directed by Mohd Gani- Gubbare , followed by  Priya Ramasubban’s inspirational movie- Chuskit.

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