Film Review: Anuja
by Karen Pecota

Adam J. Graves, United States, 2024

Nine-year-old, Anuja (Sajda Pathan) and her sister, Palak (Ananya Shanbhag) are orphans struggling to survive in a world where underprivileged girls are often exploited or trapped in a system to exclude them altogether.

Palak works in a back-alley garment factory and Anuja works alongside her in order to make ends meet. The two sisters have a difficult existence but what keeps them joyful is that they believe that their dreams for a better life will come true.

Palak knows that her sister is exceptionally bright and encourages Anuja to take a special exam that would allow her to enter a special school—an advantage Palak would never get. Anuja cannot bear the thought of being away from Palak, so she resists.

Anuja is smart, savvy, and proves to be of benefit to the factory owner Mr. Verma (Nagesh Bhonsle) in his financial dealings once he discovers the talented orphan. Anuja is clever enough to know that she is being taken advantage of because of her intelligence and doesn’t like it. But, if she doesn’t work for him, Palak loses her job—a position they both need for survival.

A teacher shows up at the factory looking for young school-age children to be in forced labor, Mr. Verma is not happy. The teacher finds Anuja and offers her a chance of a lifetime that would change the trajectory of her future, including Palak’s. The sisters, with their bond of love, work creatively to figure out a way to follow their dreams.

A fascinating fact of how a star was born is explained by filmmaker Adam J. Graves. In real life, Sajda Pathan grew up living with her older sister on the streets of jhuggi (slum) in Old Delhi, after being abandoned by her parents. She spent her days begging outside a Hanuman temple, until social workers from SBT invited her to attend non-formal education at their center in Yamuna Bazaar.”

Graves and his wife Suchitra Matthai, (film producer) once aware of the daunting statistics of child labor they knew a film must be born to draw attention to the issues.

This film was made with the support of the Salaam Baalak Trust (SBT), a non-profit that was founded by the family of the renowned director Mira Nair (MONSOON WEDDING) that provides food, shelter and education to thousands of street kids and working children in New Delhi. And in collaboration with SHINE GLOBAL, the production company behind the Emmy and Academy award winning films which focus on stories that highlight the resilience of children in the face of adversity. Sajda Pathan, who plays the role of Anuja is one of these children. She views the film for the first time along with fellow residents of the SBT children’s home.