The Kannada-language film Pink Elli? (Where is Pinki?) begins as an exploration of every parent’s nightmare but then reveals itself to be ...
The Kannada-language film Pink Elli? (Where is Pinki?) begins as an exploration of every parent’s nightmare but then reveals itself to be something else altogether – a clinical examination of a remorseless society that leads to a heartless crime.
Prithvi Konanur’s third feature is set in Bengaluru. It revolves around Bindhushree, a working woman, who leaves her eight-month-old daughter Pinki in the care of her maid Sanamma. Bindhushree doesn’t know that Sanamma has been loaning Pinki to a relative, Anasuya, who then uses the infant to beg at traffic signals.
Pinki goes missing one day, sending Sanamma and Anasuya into a panic. The film is both a social realist drama as well as a suspense thriller. Pinki’s trail is littered with surprises, while secrets about each of the characters tumble out during the course of the police investigation.
The plot of Pinki Elli? was inspired by newspaper reports of babies being rented out, and had been with Konanur for close to four years. The narrative took a while to fall into place. “These days, inciting incidents happen within the first ten minutes, and you don’t have the time build up characters – you can do that as you go along,” Konanur explained.
Pink Elli? is among the titles that has been picked by...
