Film By: Siddharth Kar & Susmita Talukdar
Mentored By: Pankaj Rishi Kumar
City: Mumbai

Hissa tells the story of two migrant barber brothers who have spent their lives cutting hair on the streets of Mumbai’s Dhobi Talao. Their small setup survives on the edge of legality as their chairs and mirrors spill onto the road. Though they come from the same family of barbers, their dreams divide them. The younger wants to return home once his son begins earning, while the elder believes the city has become his home. The story is narrated by a young girl, the elder brother’s daughter, who recalls a fable told by her grandfather about frogs seeking shelter in a pond full of fishes during a drought. Through her voice, the film reflects on what it means to belong, to survive, and to choose one’s place in a restless city. Hissa is about inheritance, and claim to space in the contested public realm.