Gaadi

The film is set during the final years of the Kandyan Kingdom. Following a failed rebellion by Sinhala noblemen seeking to depose King Sri Wikrama Rajasinghe, a ruler of South Indian Nayakkar descent, the dissidents form an alliance with British officials who claim that their intentions are commercial rather than territorial. During a pivotal meeting between Ehelepola Adigar and John D'Oyly, negotiations take place regarding the transfer of power in Kandy. Ehelepola proposes that, should the British assist in removing the king, they would be permitted to conduct trade in the highlands, provided that the social order of the Kandyan realm remains intact. He compels D’Oyly to swear on the Bible that this order will be preserved. With the support of Bulathgama Dissave and other noblemen, Ehelepola organizes a coup. However, the uprising fails, forcing the conspirators and their followers to flee Kandy. In retaliation, the king orders punishment against the families of the rebel noblemen. The wives are given a choice between ritual suicide by drowning or being stripped of their nobility and married into the Rodiya caste, regarded as the lowest in the Kandyan social hierarchy. Most choose death, but Bulathgama’s wife, Tikiri, refuses and is declared the property of a Rodiya man named Vijaya. She is forced into the Rodiya community, whose members are compelled to wear coarse garments and visible markers of their status and must show extreme deference to upper castes. As part of her degradation, Tikiri is made to remove her blouse, symbolizing her loss of social standing. Tikiri’s presence creates tension within the Rodiya community, whose members survive through begging and are forbidden from engaging in any forms of labor. Vijaya shows empathy toward Tikiri’s suffering, and the two gradually form a quiet, unspoken bond. Eventually, they leave the group to seek a new life together. They find temporary refuge with a farmer and attempt to sustain themselves by trapping cattle in the forest. When their attempt to pass as members of a higher caste is discovered, they are punished—tied to a tree and flogged, and Tikiri is publicly humiliated once again. While in the forest, they encounter a group fleeing the advancing British forces. Tikiri suspects they are nobles in disguise, which proves correct when the man offers payment in exchange for safe passage to Kandy. Vijaya guides them, but the nobles are captured, and the man is executed. Vijaya and Tikiri are also seized but manage to escape back into the forest. By this time, the British have taken control of Kandy. The Rodiya community is captured and forced to perform for the British, despite objections from Kandyan nobles who had supported the British alliance, including Ehelepola and Bulathgama. During the performance, Tikiri recognizes her husband Bulathgama and defiantly meets his gaze. He pretends not to know her. On Ehelepola’s orders, her blouse is torn off, prompting Vijaya to intervene. The Rodiya leader creates a diversion, allowing Tikiri and Vijaya to escape. They later return to discover that the Rodiya community has been killed. The film concludes with Vijaya and Tikiri standing atop a large rock overlooking a vast valley. End titles state that the British formally annexed Ceylon on February 15, 1815, marking the end of the Kandyan Kingdom. Although colonial rule abolished aspects of the caste-based duty system, the film leaves open the question of whether genuine social liberation was achieved or merely replaced by another form of domination.

• 24th Busan International Film Festival in South Korea on 8 October 2019.^[20]
• 3rd I South Asian Film Festival - San Francisco on 9 November 2019.^[21]
• 21st Kerala International Film Festival on 9 December 2019.^[22]
• 18th Pune International Film Festival on 10 January 2020.
• 18th Dhaka International Film Festival on 19 January 2020.
• 49th International Film Festival Rotterdam on 26 January 2020.
• 3rd Independent Film Festival of Chennai on 9 February 2020.
• Vesoul International Film Festival on 13 February 2020.
• Bengaluru International Film Festival on 28 February 2020.

• 18th Dhaka International Film Festival (Best Film - Special Jury Mention)
• 3rd Independent Film Festival of Chennai (Emerald Dove Award)
• 14th Asia Pacific Screen Awards: Cultural Diversity Award (UNESCO)