Animated film ‘Reena Ki Kahani’ retells horrors of human trafficking
Reena Ki Kahani, an animated film made by Shred Shreedhar, sheds light on different vulnerabilities that facilitate crimes such as human trafficking
A nine-and-a-half-minute animated film released recently comes as an eye opener to all those who haven’t taken human rights seriously. Outed on the occasion of Human Rights Day, the film shines light into the horrors of human trafficking, the agents of which lurk amongst us, and are always on the prowl to trap their next victim.
The film, titled Reena Ki Kahani, by producer-director Shred Shreedhar, narrates the real-life story of Reena, who was trapped and lured into flesh trade before being rescued.
The film also sheds light on the different vulnerabilities that facilitate such crimes, like false promises and the lure of a better life to the clever targeting of girls from weaker sections of society who dream of a brighter future.
Shred Shreedhar narrates a story of survival
Through Reena Ki Kahani, Shreedhar shows his audience how traffickers use conniving ploys to prey on possible victims and earn a livelihood through these criminal deeds. At another level, this film is also a story of survival, giving insights into how such situations can be detected and avoided; also, how to identify victims and oppressors.
Produced by Shreedhar’s studio Shred Creative Lab in collaboration with Vihaan, an anti-human trafficking NGO, Reena Ki Kahani comes across as a must watch for parents, children and care-givers, so that they get to understand potential threats and guard themselves and their loved ones from such evils that masquerade as benign help amongst our very own circles.
“I hope that with this film, a heinous crime like human trafficking gets talked about more in the mainstream media. We have films on various social issues. Human trafficking for sex trade, bonded labour and slavery is a billion-dollar industry that gets lost in the news items. More importantly, people need to be aware on how to identify vulnerabilities and threats,” Shred Shreedhar said.
Triumph of human spirit in Reena Ki Kahani celebrates human rights
On releasing the film on a significant day, the filmmaker said, “What better day to highlight this reassuring story of courage and human grit in the face of a brutal violation of human rights and spirit? Nothing celebrates Human Rights Day as the rise and triumph of the human spirit in Reena’s story.”
Vihaan, the NGO which has rescued over 4700 people from the throes of human trafficking, is glad that Reena Ki Kahani has become the voice of a survivor reach the multitude, many of whom fall into the clutches of the traffickers due to their naivety.
Shred Shreedhar had, a while ago, made waves at the 51st International Film Festival of India (IFFI) Goa when his documentary titled “In Our World” was featured as an official selection and premiered at festival. ‘In Our World’ highlighted the lives of three autistic kids, and was also screened at the Bollywood Festival Norway and NYC Virtual South Asia Film Festival (SAFF).