Back to all films

Set in the unforgiving heart of Kolkata, Where the River Bends follows Ganga, a single mother and sex worker, as she fights to secure a better future and education for her 11-year-old son, Abhi. Though gifted and full of promise, Abhi faces rejection from every school — not because of his merit, but because of Ganga’s past, her career, and her social class. As the walls of class and morality close in, Ganga’s world begins to crumble, forcing her to confront the same impossible decision her own mother once made: to let go of the child she loves for his chance at a better life. It is a socially conscious drama about a mother’s fight to secure a future for her son as she battles poverty and prejudice. A story about breaking barriers of entry in a world that pins everything against you, while love guides your every decision. Interwoven with memories, unspoken love, and quiet defiance, Where the River Bends is a deeply human story about sacrifice, shame, and survival — where a mother’s greatest act of love may be learning how to say goodbye.

The film follows the complex relationship dynamics and the impossible choices Ganga faces. The gross misrepresentation, in film, of the lives of those stuck in systemic poverty through an orientalist gaze, while othering the community, made us feel like there was a story within that needed to be told. One that felt more human and universal.

The team behind this project will bring about an authentic connection between the screen and the audience. We believe film absolutely transcends itself as a medium simply used for entertainment. It is the ultimate collaborative artform. Beyond parasocial connections, one feels with the characters, films teach us how to feel for one another. It is our job to acknowledge and appreciate those differences. Especially through our art. Our words and images not only make us feel but also bring a sense of unity. We want Where the River Bends to be a film that brings us together with our primal sense of love. There is no better time to tell this story than now.