To chase her dream of going to school in her remote Himalayan village, a feisty paraplegic girl locks horns with her unyielding, tradition-bound grandfather.
What They're Saying
“Priya Ramasubban won hearts with Chuskit, featuring a young paraplegic adapting her wheelchair to her Himalayan home.”
Mike McCahill
The Guardian
“Chuskit is a story of triumph over adversity. It captures the pathos of life when lived with imposed limitations as well as the exhilaration that comes when those limitations are transcended. A moving story well told by first-time director Priya Ramasubban that is abetted by a stellar performance by first-time actor Jigmet Dewa Lhamo.”
Freida Pinto
Actor - Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Slumdog Millionaire
“Priya Ramasubban makes an impressive directorial debut with Chuskit - a film that is visually stunning, has some winsome performances and a heartwarming narrative.”
Shabana Azmi
Padma Shri awardee; Actor - Sparsh, Masoom
“Chuskit is inspired by heartwarming real-life events and is beautifully translated on screen. It makes for a meaningful & inspiring watch.”
Vivek Rangachari
Founder - DAR Motion Pictures; Producer - The Lunchbox
“From a doctor introducing her to a wheelchair to her brother designing a ramp elevator with his friends, brilliantly-shot scenes capture how Chuskit struggles to make her way through the region's rough terrain.”
Nidhi Adlakha
The Hindu
“Director Priya Ramasubban travelled up to the Kashmir mountains to make a moving film about acceptance and resistance, and came back down with stories to tell and a strong case to defend, which she does with wisdom and passion.”
Gert Hermans
European Children's Film Association
“Disability hardly gets mainstream attention. But filmmaker Priya Ramasubban's empathetic vision in Chuskit (2018), the story of a nine-year-old girl in Ladakh trying to overcome her physical disability to go to school, has managed to make an impact.”
Asad Ali
The Indian Express
“Priya Ramasubban won hearts with Chuskit, featuring a young paraplegic adapting her wheelchair to her Himalayan home.”
Mike McCahill
The Guardian
“Chuskit is a story of triumph over adversity. It captures the pathos of life when lived with imposed limitations as well as the exhilaration that comes when those limitations are transcended. A moving story well told by first-time director Priya Ramasubban that is abetted by a stellar performance by first-time actor Jigmet Dewa Lhamo.”
Freida Pinto
Actor - Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Slumdog Millionaire
“Priya Ramasubban makes an impressive directorial debut with Chuskit - a film that is visually stunning, has some winsome performances and a heartwarming narrative.”
Shabana Azmi
Padma Shri awardee; Actor - Sparsh, Masoom
“Chuskit is inspired by heartwarming real-life events and is beautifully translated on screen. It makes for a meaningful & inspiring watch.”
Vivek Rangachari
Founder - DAR Motion Pictures; Producer - The Lunchbox
“From a doctor introducing her to a wheelchair to her brother designing a ramp elevator with his friends, brilliantly-shot scenes capture how Chuskit struggles to make her way through the region's rough terrain.”
Nidhi Adlakha
The Hindu
“Director Priya Ramasubban travelled up to the Kashmir mountains to make a moving film about acceptance and resistance, and came back down with stories to tell and a strong case to defend, which she does with wisdom and passion.”
Gert Hermans
European Children's Film Association
“Disability hardly gets mainstream attention. But filmmaker Priya Ramasubban's empathetic vision in Chuskit (2018), the story of a nine-year-old girl in Ladakh trying to overcome her physical disability to go to school, has managed to make an impact.”
Asad Ali
The Indian Express
“Priya Ramasubban won hearts with Chuskit, featuring a young paraplegic adapting her wheelchair to her Himalayan home.”
Mike McCahill
The Guardian
“Chuskit is a story of triumph over adversity. It captures the pathos of life when lived with imposed limitations as well as the exhilaration that comes when those limitations are transcended. A moving story well told by first-time director Priya Ramasubban that is abetted by a stellar performance by first-time actor Jigmet Dewa Lhamo.”
Freida Pinto
Actor - Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Slumdog Millionaire
“Priya Ramasubban makes an impressive directorial debut with Chuskit - a film that is visually stunning, has some winsome performances and a heartwarming narrative.”
Shabana Azmi
Padma Shri awardee; Actor - Sparsh, Masoom
“Chuskit is inspired by heartwarming real-life events and is beautifully translated on screen. It makes for a meaningful & inspiring watch.”
Vivek Rangachari
Founder - DAR Motion Pictures; Producer - The Lunchbox
“From a doctor introducing her to a wheelchair to her brother designing a ramp elevator with his friends, brilliantly-shot scenes capture how Chuskit struggles to make her way through the region's rough terrain.”
Nidhi Adlakha
The Hindu
“Director Priya Ramasubban travelled up to the Kashmir mountains to make a moving film about acceptance and resistance, and came back down with stories to tell and a strong case to defend, which she does with wisdom and passion.”
Gert Hermans
European Children's Film Association
“Disability hardly gets mainstream attention. But filmmaker Priya Ramasubban's empathetic vision in Chuskit (2018), the story of a nine-year-old girl in Ladakh trying to overcome her physical disability to go to school, has managed to make an impact.”
Asad Ali
The Indian Express
“Priya Ramasubban won hearts with Chuskit, featuring a young paraplegic adapting her wheelchair to her Himalayan home.”
Mike McCahill
The Guardian
“Chuskit is a story of triumph over adversity. It captures the pathos of life when lived with imposed limitations as well as the exhilaration that comes when those limitations are transcended. A moving story well told by first-time director Priya Ramasubban that is abetted by a stellar performance by first-time actor Jigmet Dewa Lhamo.”
Freida Pinto
Actor - Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Slumdog Millionaire
“Priya Ramasubban makes an impressive directorial debut with Chuskit - a film that is visually stunning, has some winsome performances and a heartwarming narrative.”
Shabana Azmi
Padma Shri awardee; Actor - Sparsh, Masoom
“Chuskit is inspired by heartwarming real-life events and is beautifully translated on screen. It makes for a meaningful & inspiring watch.”
Vivek Rangachari
Founder - DAR Motion Pictures; Producer - The Lunchbox
“From a doctor introducing her to a wheelchair to her brother designing a ramp elevator with his friends, brilliantly-shot scenes capture how Chuskit struggles to make her way through the region's rough terrain.”
Nidhi Adlakha
The Hindu
“Director Priya Ramasubban travelled up to the Kashmir mountains to make a moving film about acceptance and resistance, and came back down with stories to tell and a strong case to defend, which she does with wisdom and passion.”
Gert Hermans
European Children's Film Association
“Disability hardly gets mainstream attention. But filmmaker Priya Ramasubban's empathetic vision in Chuskit (2018), the story of a nine-year-old girl in Ladakh trying to overcome her physical disability to go to school, has managed to make an impact.”
Asad Ali
The Indian Express
The Story
A fight for the right to learn
Set in the breathtaking landscape of Ladakh, Chuskit follows a spirited young girl who uses a wheelchair and is determined to attend school like any other child. But the path to the village school is treacherous, and her grandfather - the village elder - refuses to let her attempt the dangerous route.
What begins as a battle of wills between a feisty granddaughter and a proud grandfather becomes a tender, deeply moving story about love, tradition, and the transformative power of education.
Meet the Crew
The People Behind the Film
“Chuskit came from a real place I visited in Ladakh, where I met a family dealing with exactly this situation. I was struck by how much love and conflict could coexist in the same household.”
- Priya Ramasubban, Director
Director & Writer
Priya Ramasubban
Priya Ramasubban's debut feature Chuskit travelled to more than 100 international festivals and won over 20 awards. Her work is marked by patient observation and deep empathy for marginalized communities - stories gathered slowly, and told with care.
Sound Design
P.M. Satheesh
A graduate of the National Film & Television Institute, Satheesh has worked on numerous documentaries for BBC, National Geographic, etc. as well as several feature films including 'Mangal Pandey', 'Fakir of Venice', and 'Baahubali'. Satheesh also won a National Award for Best Sound Design on 'Kumar Talkies'.
Director of Photography
Arvind Kannabiran
A Parsons School of Design alum, Arvind Kannabiran has been working in the advertising and feature film industry for more than 25 years in both America and India. His feature film credits as a Director of Photography include 'NH10', 'Anaarkali of Aarah', 'Manorama Six Feet Under', 'Loins of Punjab Presents' and 'My Brother… Nikhil'.
Production Design
Aradhana Seth
Aradhana is a filmmaker, visual artist and designer. Her production design credits include 'Angry Indian Goddesses', 'Don', 'Easy', 'Earth' and 'Fire'. As Art Director she has worked on 'London Has Fallen (India)', 'The Darjeeling Limited', 'The Bourne Supremacy' and 'Stiff Upper Lips (India)'. She has directed/produced over 18 documentary films including 'DAM/AGE' and 'A Suitable Boy' for the BBC with Arundhati Roy and Vikram Seth.
Editor
Jabeen Merchant
Jabeen Merchant has been editing films for 23 years. Her well-known work includes commercial releases like 'Manorama Six Feet Under', 'Khamoshi: The Musical', 'NH10' and 'Anaarkali of Aarah' as well as indies like 'The President Is Coming' and the National Award-winning children's film 'Chhutkan ki Mahabharat'.
Costume Designer
Deepali Kosta Kabi
Deepali Kosta is a trained costume and fashion designer from Sophia Polytechnic, Mumbai, with 25 years of work experience in the fashion field. She has been the costume designer for 'Hypothesis' (1996), a short film by Rajat Kapoor, 'Limited Manuski' (1995), a Marathi feature film by Nachiket Patwardhan, and 'Hamlet' (2006) and 'Aham' (2003), theatre productions directed by Neeraj Kabi.
Director & Writer
Priya Ramasubban
Priya Ramasubban's debut feature Chuskit travelled to more than 100 international festivals and won over 20 awards. Her work is marked by patient observation and deep empathy for marginalized communities - stories gathered slowly, and told with care.
Editor
Jabeen Merchant
Jabeen Merchant has been editing films for 23 years. Her well-known work includes commercial releases like 'Manorama Six Feet Under', 'Khamoshi: The Musical', 'NH10' and 'Anaarkali of Aarah' as well as indies like 'The President Is Coming' and the National Award-winning children's film 'Chhutkan ki Mahabharat'.
Production Design
Aradhana Seth
Aradhana is a filmmaker, visual artist and designer. Her production design credits include 'Angry Indian Goddesses', 'Don', 'Easy', 'Earth' and 'Fire'. As Art Director she has worked on 'London Has Fallen (India)', 'The Darjeeling Limited', 'The Bourne Supremacy' and 'Stiff Upper Lips (India)'. She has directed/produced over 18 documentary films including 'DAM/AGE' and 'A Suitable Boy' for the BBC with Arundhati Roy and Vikram Seth.
Director of Photography
Arvind Kannabiran
A Parsons School of Design alum, Arvind Kannabiran has been working in the advertising and feature film industry for more than 25 years in both America and India. His feature film credits as a Director of Photography include 'NH10', 'Anaarkali of Aarah', 'Manorama Six Feet Under', 'Loins of Punjab Presents' and 'My Brother… Nikhil'.
Sound Design
P.M. Satheesh
A graduate of the National Film & Television Institute, Satheesh has worked on numerous documentaries for BBC, National Geographic, etc. as well as several feature films including 'Mangal Pandey', 'Fakir of Venice', and 'Baahubali'. Satheesh also won a National Award for Best Sound Design on 'Kumar Talkies'.
Costume Designer
Deepali Kosta Kabi
Deepali Kosta is a trained costume and fashion designer from Sophia Polytechnic, Mumbai, with 25 years of work experience in the fashion field. She has been the costume designer for 'Hypothesis' (1996), a short film by Rajat Kapoor, 'Limited Manuski' (1995), a Marathi feature film by Nachiket Patwardhan, and 'Hamlet' (2006) and 'Aham' (2003), theatre productions directed by Neeraj Kabi.
Director & Writer
Priya Ramasubban
Priya Ramasubban's debut feature Chuskit travelled to more than 100 international festivals and won over 20 awards. Her work is marked by patient observation and deep empathy for marginalized communities - stories gathered slowly, and told with care.
Director of Photography
Arvind Kannabiran
A Parsons School of Design alum, Arvind Kannabiran has been working in the advertising and feature film industry for more than 25 years in both America and India. His feature film credits as a Director of Photography include 'NH10', 'Anaarkali of Aarah', 'Manorama Six Feet Under', 'Loins of Punjab Presents' and 'My Brother… Nikhil'.
Editor
Jabeen Merchant
Jabeen Merchant has been editing films for 23 years. Her well-known work includes commercial releases like 'Manorama Six Feet Under', 'Khamoshi: The Musical', 'NH10' and 'Anaarkali of Aarah' as well as indies like 'The President Is Coming' and the National Award-winning children's film 'Chhutkan ki Mahabharat'.
Sound Design
P.M. Satheesh
A graduate of the National Film & Television Institute, Satheesh has worked on numerous documentaries for BBC, National Geographic, etc. as well as several feature films including 'Mangal Pandey', 'Fakir of Venice', and 'Baahubali'. Satheesh also won a National Award for Best Sound Design on 'Kumar Talkies'.
Production Design
Aradhana Seth
Aradhana is a filmmaker, visual artist and designer. Her production design credits include 'Angry Indian Goddesses', 'Don', 'Easy', 'Earth' and 'Fire'. As Art Director she has worked on 'London Has Fallen (India)', 'The Darjeeling Limited', 'The Bourne Supremacy' and 'Stiff Upper Lips (India)'. She has directed/produced over 18 documentary films including 'DAM/AGE' and 'A Suitable Boy' for the BBC with Arundhati Roy and Vikram Seth.
Costume Designer
Deepali Kosta Kabi
Deepali Kosta is a trained costume and fashion designer from Sophia Polytechnic, Mumbai, with 25 years of work experience in the fashion field. She has been the costume designer for 'Hypothesis' (1996), a short film by Rajat Kapoor, 'Limited Manuski' (1995), a Marathi feature film by Nachiket Patwardhan, and 'Hamlet' (2006) and 'Aham' (2003), theatre productions directed by Neeraj Kabi.
We Walk the Talk
Women Empowerment
All the unit heads of Chuskit except two are women, including our director Priya Ramasubban, producer Namrata Goyal, executive producers Priyanka Agarwal and Anshulika Dubey, editor Jabeen Merchant, production designer Aradhana Seth, art director Swapnali Das, costume designer Deepali Kosta Kabi and script mentor Jolein Laarman.
Inclusive
We conducted an open call to hire people with disabilities as a part of the Chuskit crew. Tsering Gyurmet answered the call. He was trained on the job and became an indispensable part of the costume department.
Environmental Consciousness
During the entire duration of the film shoot, we maintained a policy against single-use plastic. Every member on set - cast or crew - was given a steel bottle for their personal use and the use of plastic was strictly prohibited. Even though the shoot took place in remote areas in the mountains where carrying utensils and dishes was difficult, we made sure to choose the environment over convenience.
Recognition
Awards & Festivals
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Awards Won
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Special Mentions
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Official Selections
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Countries
- ✦Amnesty International Prize - 48th Giffoni Film Festival, Italy (2018)
- ✦Golden Gateway Award: Best Feature (5–9 yrs, Half Ticket) - 19th Mumbai Film Festival (Jio MAMI), India (2018)
- ✦Global Zoom Prize - 13th Children's Film Festival Seattle, USA (2019)
- ✦Best Film by the Youth Jury - 23rd Freeze Frame International Film Festival, Winnipeg, Canada (2019)
- ✦Best Film & Best Drama (over 30 mins) - 18th Picture This... Film Festival, Calgary, Canada (2019)
- ✦Cultural Exchanges Award (Feature Film) - 7th Seoul Guro International Kids Film Festival, South Korea (2019)
- ✦Grand Prix: Best Children's Film - 5th Kinolub International Film Festival, Poland (2019)
- ✦Best Child Actor (Jigmet Dewa Lhamo) - 14th Within the Family International Festival, Yaroslavl, Russia (2019)
- ✦Grand Prize - 24th Stony Brook Film Festival, New York, USA (2019)
- ✦Audience Award: Best Feature Film - 24th La Matatena International Children's Film Festival, Mexico (2019)
- ✦Equality in Cinema Award - 9th Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM), Australia (2019)
- ✦Special Jury Award - 32nd International Film Festival for Children & Young Adults (ICFF), Iran (2019)
- ✦Special Jury Award - 11th DYTIATKO International Children's Film Festival, Ukraine (2019)
- ✦Bridging the Borders Award - 42nd LUCAS International Festival for Young Film Lovers, Germany (2019)
- ✦Best of Festival Feature Award - 33rd SUPERFEST International Disability Film Festival, USA (2019)
- ✦Audience Award: Best Feature Film - 9th South Asian Film Festival of Montréal (SAFFM), Canada (2019)
- ✦UNICEF Award - 31st Vienna International Children's Film Festival, Austria (2019)
- ✦Best Feature Film - 7th Inclús Barcelona International Disability Film Festival, Spain (2019)
- ✦Great Prize of the Festival - 3rd International Film Festival on Disability (IFFD), France (2020)
- ✦Prize Pascal Duquenne - 3rd International Film Festival on Disability (IFFD), France (2020)
- ✦Best Feature Film - 6th Mi Primer Festival, Peru (2020)
- ✦Best First Feature by the Director - South Film and Arts Academy (SFAAF, 2018)
- ✦Best Screenplay in a Feature Film - South Film and Arts Academy (SFAAF, 2018)
- ✦Best Young Actress in a Feature Film (Jigmet Dewa Lhamo) - South Film and Arts Academy (SFAAF, 2018)
- ✦Special Mention Award by the Eminent Professional Jury - 4th SMILE International Film Festival (SIFFCY), New Delhi, India (2018)
- ✦Special Mention of Edith Lando Peace Prize Jury - Reel 2 Real International Film Festival for Youth, Vancouver, Canada (2019)
- ✦Special Mention by the International Jury - 14th Tel Aviv International Film Festival for Children & Youth, Israel (2019)
- ✦Nominated for Best Feature Film - 6th Sharjah International Children's Film Festival (SICFF), UAE (2018)
- ✦Nominated for Best Actress (Jigmet Dewa Lhamo) - 9th Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM), Australia (2019)
- ✦Nominated for Best Indie Film - 9th Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM), Australia (2019)
- ✦Jordan Ressler First Feature Award Competition - 36th Miami Film Festival, USA (2019)
- ✦48th Giffoni Film Festival - Italy (2018)
- ✦19th Mumbai Film Festival (Jio MAMI) - India (2018)
- ✦23rd International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) - India (2018)
- ✦6th Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) - India (2018)
- ✦37th Oulu International Children's and Youth Film Festival - Finland (2018)
- ✦13th Children's Film Festival Seattle - USA (2019)
- ✦36th Miami Film Festival - USA (2019)
- ✦22nd Montréal International Children's Film Festival (FIFEM) - Canada (2019)
- ✦38th Munich Film Festival - Germany (2019)
- ✦68th International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg - Germany (2019)
- ✦14th Busan International Kids and Youth Film Festival (BIKY) - South Korea (2019)
- ✦9th London Indian Film Festival - UK (2019)
- ✦36th BUFF International Children and Youth Film Festival Malmö - Sweden (2019)
- ✦33rd Fribourg International Film Festival - Switzerland (2019)
- ✦19th BUSTER Copenhagen International Film Festival - Denmark (2019)
- ✦24th SCHLINGEL International Film Festival - Germany (2019)
- ✦42nd Mill Valley Film Festival - USA (2019)
- ✦60th Thessaloniki International Film Festival - Greece (2019)
- ✦26th Minsk International Film Festival 'Listapad' - Belarus (2019)
- ✦18th Taiwan International Children's Film Festival (TICFF) - Taiwan (2020)
- ✦+ 85 more festivals across 42 countries worldwide
Produced & Supported By
