Anuja

2024 0h 23m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 84

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When a brilliant nine-year-old working in a sweatshop gets a chance to attend school, she must make a difficult choice for her and her sister's future.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Sajda Pathan
Anuja
Ananya Shanbhag
Palak
Nagesh Bhonsle
Mr. Verma
Gulshan Walia
Mr. Mishra
Sushil Parwana
Floor Manager
Sunita Bhadauria
Friendly Shopper
Rudolpho Rajeev Hubert
Store Manager
Jugal Kishore
Security Guard

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Adam J. Graves
Writers: Adam J. Graves
Languages: Hindi, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 23-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 2 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Hindi, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Adam J. Graves, shot by Akash Raje. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Fabrizio Mancinelli. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Krushan Naik shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Sajda Pathan and Ananya Shanbhag and Nagesh Bhonsle carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt27654431 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Adam J. Graves directs. Akash Raje behind the camera. Fabrizio Mancinelli scores. Krushan Naik cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Hindi, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 23-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Released 2 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Hindi, English.
4Directed by Adam J. Graves, shot by Akash Raje. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Fabrizio Mancinelli. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Krushan Naik shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Sajda Pathan and Ananya Shanbhag and Nagesh Bhonsle carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt27654431 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 84 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Akash Raje
Original score: Fabrizio Mancinelli
Editing: Krushan Naik
Runtime: 23 min · 0h 23m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Anuja (2024)

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2026-08-09
★ 6/10
Nine year old "Anuja" (Sanda Pathan) is a bright young lass who has been forced to work in a sweatshop for the exploitative "Verma" (Nagesh Bhonsle) who knows full well that she and her elder sister "Palak" (Anaya Shanbhag) have little by way of options. Then her schoolteacher arrives to point out that it's illegal to employ someone so young - even if she does somewhat unconvincingly lie about her age - and that for the want of just 400 rupees she could take an examination that could earn a scholarship to school. Her sister is mindful of the opportunity awaiting her sister, but where are they going to get the cash and even then how might she ever sneak away from her duties long enough to sit it? The two girls give quite a potent performance here as the film lays bare the fairly common practice of child labour at the hands of a man who couldn't care less about them or their educational prospects, and I did find the ingenuity of "Palak" quite affecting too - but the film itself is just too short to really do much more than scratch the surface of a societal predicament faced by millions caught in the employment trap so common in the rag trade - and not just in India either. There's a nice little twist in the tale at the end, but it's not really a fitting topic for a short film to do much justice to.

Production companies