Filmmaker Ajay Govind Basanti tailor At the foothills of the Himalayas, it is set in Halduwal in Dehradun. A poorly manufactured tailoring shop, which is located in a very populated area, where “magic” on Basanti sewing machines. Her granddaughter, Gitika or Ginni, as she is called with love, is almost her only partner in uneven life.
Basanti’s reputation is created at her unique ability to restore clothing beyond repair, constantly surprised her owners by converting clothes to be destroyed into bedspread and curtains. This skill and recycling between urban and rural communities, opposite approach to drive Basanti tailorA Hindi short film that sheds light on how recycling shapes everyday life. The Chicago South Asian Film Festival is produced by the film, Drisham Films and Azeem Premji Foundation, released at 2025.
The 17 -minute film, in which Sohaila Kapoor, Radha Bhatt, and Alana starring, opens with Anupama (Radha Bhatt) and his son Aryveer visited Busanti Tellers to leave some clothes, discussed recycling on the way. While Basanati is amazed by the demands of Anupama, such as recycling the bed sheet in bedspread, Ginni recycled a T-shirt from a pile of clothing.
Behind the scenes of Basanti tailor
Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The short film, premiered at the Bengaluru International Short Film Festival in 2025, focuses on the concept of old and new, as Basanti explained a way to decide without hurting her granddaughter.
“Recycling is always in existence, it is a piece of a used shirt or fabric, which becomes a piece of fabric used to wipe the table,” Ajay says, who directed many documentaries, short films, music videos and features films on his 20 -year career.
Ajay Govind, Director Basanti tailor
Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Originally says Ajay of Kozhikode, “The story is inspired by a tailor, BasantiYesLive on the outskirts of Dehradun. One day, we decided to recycle some clothes in curtains and other things. The film has a bag sewing a bag in the background of the tailoring shop sequence. ,
He says, “One day, I gave her a shirt to make it in a bag. When I went there, I saw that the shirt was still there, and she gave me a bag made of a separate cloth. She told me that the material was not favorable for stitching. It wondered me whether the shirt was new and now worth the recycling.”
Filmmaker says, “The film recycling has a criticism on the objective of the urban population. It has become a market-powered initiative that has inspired people to ignore it. For a person like Basanti who is from a different social stratum, recycling is a daily reality.”
Ankana Joshi wrote dialogues in the local dialect, and also worked as a dialect coach for a famous television and film actor Sohaila. Says Ajay, “Initially, we were uncertain about his Basanti playing. He played the role of urban characters, and it is also his background. Once we saw his audition tape, he was a clear option,” Ajay says.
In the film, Ajay expresses an opposite view of sympathy. “In one scene, Anupama says that she will bring her clothes for her friend Basanti from Delhi. But the reality is that an old woman like her is not looking at her business and that kind of business will be a burden for her. But you believe that giving her more business will strengthen the relationship.”
“We wanted Anupama to come as a sympathetic person, but sometimes you need enough information to be sympathetic,” says the manufacturer.
later this year, Basanti tailor Taoba will also be screened at Taoba International Youth Film Festival at the International Film Festival of Tabilisi, Georgia and South Asia Toronto, Cananda. Earlier in August, the film was screened at Kerala’s International Circulation and Short Film Festival.
Published – September 11, 2025 05:10 pm IST