Shram

Created as a DP IV Documentary project at the National Institute of Design under the guidance of Savyasachi Anju Prabir, Shram (Labour / Effort) investigates the sudden dismissal of approximately twenty elderly security guards and utility staff at NID Ahmedabad. Despite serving the campus community for ten to twenty years, these workers—known affectionately to students as “Kakas”—were laid off by a third-party private contractor with only three days’ notice, solely because they were over forty-five years old.

The documentary follows the Kakas as they navigate dispute proceedings at the office of the Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner (Shram Bhavan), seeking gratuity settlements and basic institutional acknowledgement. Alongside the bureaucratic hearings, the film documents candid conversations across campus, confronting the stark divide between student attachment, contractor disavowal, and administrative detachment.

Serving as cinematographer alongside director Jayasri Sridhar, the visual approach was deliberately grounded and unobtrusive:

• Institutional Quietude: Filming inside legal conciliation rooms and administrative offices required an attentive, non-intrusive camera setup, capturing the physical presence and patience of the workers as they presented documents before seated officials.
• The Reflective Ledger: Close-up framing of the director’s handwritten journal—cataloguing timelines, verbatim quotes, and ethical questions regarding student complicity and documentary responsibility—acts as an anchor throughout the film.
• Available Light & Campus Spaces: Shot entirely with natural daylight and existing campus lighting across guard posts, gates, and corridors, avoiding artificial dramatization to keep the focus on the lived realities and dignity of the workers.