Anuja (2024) Oscar-nominated Live Action Short Film by Adam J. Graves. An Academy Award nominee for Best Short. Stream this acclaimed film!
🎒 Anuja (2024) — Live Action Short Film by Adam J. Graves
A tender, high‑stakes coming‑of‑age drama set in the bustling heart of Delhi, Anuja is a 22‑minute Hindi‑language short that captures the impossible choices faced by millions of girls worldwide. Written and directed by Adam J. Graves, and produced with a powerhouse team including Guneet Monga, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Mindy Kaling, the film is both intimate and universal — a story about two sisters, a dream, and the price of chasing it.
🧠Overview
- Genre: Drama / Social realism
- Director & Writer: Adam J. Graves
- Producers: Guneet Monga, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Mindy Kaling, Suchitra Mattai, Krushan Naik, Michael Graves, Aaron Kopp, Ksheetij Saini, Alexandra Blaney, Devananda Graves
- Cast:
- Sajda Pathan as Anuja
- Ananya Shanbhag as Palak
- Nagesh Bhonsle as Mr. Verma
- Gulshan Walia as Mr. Mishra
- Supporting: Sushil Parwana, Sunita Bhadauria, Rudolfo Rajeev Hubert, Jugal Kishore, Pankaj Gupta
- Cinematography: Akash Raje 🎥
- Editing: Krushan Naik & Adam J. Graves
- Music: Fabrizio Mancinelli 🎼
- Production companies: Salaam Baalak Trust · Shine Global · Graves Films · Krushan Naik Films
- Distributor: Netflix
- Runtime: 22 minutes
- Languages: Hindi (with English subtitles)
- Premiere: 17 August 2024 — HollyShorts Film Festival
- Streaming: Netflix from 5 February 2025
- Accolades: Nominated for Best Live Action Short Film at the 97th Academy Awards 🏆
Watch the short film trailer
Tips: Watch full short film in Netflix!
đź“– Story in Brief
Anuja, a gifted 9‑year‑old girl, works long hours in a garment factory alongside her older sister Palak. Orphaned and bound by necessity, the sisters’ lives are a cycle of labor, survival, and shared dreams.
One day, a local schoolteacher, Mr. Mishra, notices Anuja’s extraordinary mathematical talent and urges her to take an entrance exam for a prestigious boarding school — a chance at a full scholarship and a future beyond the factory floor.
But opportunity comes with a cost:
- Mr. Verma, the factory owner, wants to keep Anuja working.
- Palak secretly sacrifices her own marriage savings to help Anuja pay the â‚ą400 exam fee, selling handmade tote bags from factory scraps.
- The sisters share a rare day of joy — movies, street food, laughter — before the reality sets in: boarding school means separation.
Anuja is torn between loyalty to her sister and the possibility of a life she’s never dared to imagine. The film leaves us in the tension of that choice, mirroring the uncertainty faced by countless children in similar circumstances.
🎨 Creative DNA & Director’s Vision
Adam J. Graves — a philosopher‑turned‑filmmaker with deep ties to India — was inspired by a staggering statistic: nearly 1 in 10 children under 15 globally are engaged in child labor. For him and producer Suchitra Mattai (his wife), the story was personal: their own children are the same age as Anuja, and Mattai’s family history includes generations of indentured laborers from Uttar Pradesh.
- Authentic setting: Shot in Delhi with the support of Salaam Baalak Trust, a nonprofit aiding street children.
- Lived‑in performances: Non‑professional child actors bring raw, unpolished truth to their roles.
- Visual storytelling: Akash Raje’s cinematography captures both the claustrophobia of the factory and the vibrancy of the city outside.
- Emotional realism: The script resists easy resolutions, honoring the complexity of the sisters’ bond.
✅ Pros & ❌ Cons
Pros
- 🎯 Social relevance: Shines a light on child labor and girls’ education.
- 🎠Powerful performances: Sajda Pathan and Ananya Shanbhag’s chemistry feels real and lived‑in.
- 🎥 Cinematic craft: Balances intimacy with visual scope.
- 🏆 Global recognition: Oscar nomination and Netflix release amplify its reach.
Cons
- ⏳ Short runtime: Leaves you wanting more of the sisters’ backstory.
- 🌀 Open‑ended: The unresolved ending may frustrate viewers seeking closure.
🌟 Themes & Resonance
- Sisterhood: Love as both anchor and tether.
- Opportunity vs. sacrifice: The cost of breaking cycles of poverty.
- Childhood under pressure: Growing up too soon in the face of adult responsibilities.
- Education as liberation: The transformative power — and accessibility gap — of learning.
đź‘Ą Who Is It For?
- Social drama fans: Viewers drawn to character‑driven stories with real‑world stakes.
- Educators & advocates: Those working in child rights, education, and gender equality.
- Festival audiences: Lovers of short films that balance artistry with activism.
đź’ˇ Humanized Takeaway
Anuja 2024 short film is a quiet powerhouse — a reminder that for many children, the choice between family and future isn’t hypothetical. Graves doesn’t just tell a story; he invites us to sit in the discomfort of an impossible decision, and to see the humanity behind the headlines about child labor and girls’ education.
🔍 Find More & Watch
- Wikipedia entry on Anuja — full synopsis, cast, and production details.
- IMDb page for Anuja — credits, reviews, and trivia.
- Official film site — director’s statement, trailer, and community resources.