Shrihari Sathe • India • 2014

The quotidian life of those living in India’s lower castes.

Budhi lives in a small village in Maharashtra. A widow, she lost her only son to suicide—like many farmers, he was unable to pay back a loan. Her neighbor Sudama provides companionship, sipping tea with Budhi when he is not off herding goats. One day Budhi attends a political rally, where a politician gives her several 1,000 rupee notes. Sudama accompanies her to the local market, but this unexpected windfall invites more problems than it solves.

Filmed in Marathi, 1000 Rupee Note naturalistically captures the quotidian life of those living in India’s lower castes. The directorial debut of veteran producer Shrihari Sathe (Dukhtar, It Felt Like Love) premiered at Ischia, where it won Best Feature Film; Pune, where it won Best Actress and Best Screenplay; and the International Film Festival of India, where it won Best Feature Film and a Special Jury Award.