Tuk Tuk The Movie will tell the story of girls’ education in India.
You may remember that a little over a year ago there was a special Rickshaw Challenge, outside the ordinary schedule. It was known as the FFLV Tuk Tuk Challenge Charity Rally, and covered a route from Mumbai all the way down to Kanyakumari, India’s southern tip. We organised it with them, while rickshaws were provided by the Chennai Garage. It was a challenging trip, but for a good cause: the event was held to raise awareness of the challenges facing Indian girls in education. The event was also being filmed and the final result will be ready sometime this year: Tuk Tuk The Movie!
The Journey
The FFLV Tuk Tuk Challenge was launched in late 2016 in Mumbai, at an event which featured Bollywood star Vivek Oberoi. He is a brand ambassador of Food For Life Vrindavan, a charity which supports the education and empowerment of young women in rural Uttar Pradesh. The charity’s founder Rupa Raghunath Dasa (born Pietro Paolinelli) was among the participants of the rally. Teams also included actor British Ravin Ganatra, Indian actress Aarti Khetarpal and famous hairdresser David Jamili.
The Reason
For Irish filmmaker Ravinol Chambers, another of the participants, there was an addition reason to attend the rally. He had decided to film the event, and at the same time to investigate local attitudes towards the education of girls. He interviewed activitists but along the way he also conducted street interviews, in order to discover opinions of ordinary people. After the conclusion of the event, Ravinol flew to Vrvidavan, to see the work of FFLV for himself. This place had added signficance for him as had studied here as a monk twenty years previously.
The Result
It’s taken a year, but a trailer for Ravinol’s film is now ready. It was recently screened at Mockingbird Cinema in Birmingham, UK, to great acclaim from industry specialists. However, having financed the film himself up until this point, he is now seeking partners and supporters to help with finishing and distributing the final film. We hope he succeeds, because the film will not only capture the madness of the Rickshaw Challenge and the beauty of southern India, but, crucially, will also raise awareness about a very important issues affecting girls in India today. Support the film here!
