Anuja 2024 Live Action Short Film by Adam J. Graves

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!

📖 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 ₹400 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.

👥 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.

💡 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.