Dr Vikrant Kishore’s Film Chronicles the Living Tradition of Purulia Chhau and Its Mask Makers

By Arvind Kumar

Dr Vikrant Kishore’s feature documentary Purulia Chhau Dance and the Mask Makers: A Reflective Story (2024) has gained international attention for its sensitive portrayal of one of India’s most visually rich folk traditions. Running for seventy-one minutes, the film combines artistic insight with rigorous ethnographic engagement, presenting a rare synthesis of creative practice and research. Written, filmed, and edited by Dr Kishore, the work emerges from more than two decades of sustained involvement with the Chhau dance community of Purulia in West Bengal.

The film’s success on the festival circuit has affirmed its artistic and cultural value. It won Best Film of the Year 2024, Best Documentary, and Audience Choice Award at the Nawada International Film Festival (NIFF), selected from more than eighteen hundred submissions across eighty-four countries. Dr Kishore also received Best Director of the Year (2024) at NIFF and later, Best Director and Best Documentary Feature Film at the Saath Jiyo Foundation International Film Festival (2025). Additional honours include Best Documentary Feature Film at the Kollywood International Film Festival (2024) and official selections at the Janakpur International Film Festival in Nepal, Buenos Aires International Film Festival, and Karnataka International Film Festival. These recognitions signal the growing acceptance of creative screen-based research within international academic and artistic spaces.

A Reflection Rooted in Experience and Memory

Purulia Chhau Dance and the Mask Makers draws together archival footage from the 1980s with contemporary documentation, tracing the intertwined lives of two artisans, Jaggu and Somu Sutradhar, from the village of Choridah. Their work represents the heart of Chhau, for the mask is not merely a decorative object but the embodiment of mythic characters and spiritual devotion. The film also pays tribute to Padma Shri awardee Nepal Chandra Sutradhar, whose lifelong dedication sustained the practice, and to Dr Kishore’s parents, Mira and Vijoy Kishore, whose early initiatives helped bring Chhau to international audiences through festivals and cultural exchanges.

According to Dr Kishore, the project is both personal and research-driven. “This film is an outcome of long association and reflection,” he notes. “Growing up amidst the world of Chhau and returning as a filmmaker and scholar has allowed me to observe how the community balances continuity and change. The mask makers are storytellers whose creations carry history, faith, and artistry together.” Through this perspective, the film captures how Chhau practitioners work under limited institutional support while still sustaining an art form deeply connected to their identity and collective pride.

Gender, Heritage, and the Question of Continuity

A central concern within the documentary is the changing participation of women in Chhau, both as dancers and as mask makers. The film observes how women are gradually becoming part of spaces that were once reserved for men, redefining traditional roles while maintaining the spirit of the art. It also examines the fragile economic conditions faced by rural practitioners and asks an important question: can Chhau continue to thrive under the pressures of contemporary life, or will it remain a cultural memory?

In Dr Kishore’s words, “Recognition from UNESCO in 2010 brought visibility to Chhau, yet visibility alone cannot secure sustainability. The art continues through people who dedicate their lives to it, often without formal acknowledgment or adequate livelihood. My aim through the film is to ensure their voices and artistry are recognised as central to India’s cultural fabric.” The film situates Chhau within ongoing discussions on cultural identity, belonging, and the responsibility of documentation in shaping public understanding of heritage.

The film contributes significantly to research on intangible heritage by demonstrating how creative practice can function as both a document and an inquiry. Drawing upon Schechner’s concept of “restored behaviour,” Dr Kishore interprets Chhau as a living performance tradition, shaped through repetition and reinterpretation over generations.

“Digital technology presents new possibilities for artists from remote regions,” Dr Kishore explains.

“Many Chhau practitioners now use social media to showcase their craft, connect with audiences, and exchange knowledge. Yet, it also brings concerns about cultural misrepresentation and economic imbalance. Through this film, I wanted to foreground the agency of the artists themselves, allowing them to represent their world on their own terms.”

In July 2024, the film was screened and discussed at the Global Dis:connect Summer School at Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU), Germany, where Dr Kishore was invited as an expert speaker. His participation positioned the film within wider scholarly conversations on media, performance, and heritage preservation.

Artistic Reception and Wider Impact

The film has been praised by scholars and festival juries for its careful storytelling and sustained visual approach. Its structure alternates between observation and reflection, allowing the viewer to experience Chhau as both ritual and performance. The use of long observational shots, ambient soundscapes, and interviews creates a sense of continuity between past and present. Rather than romanticising rural life, the film presents the community as active participants who negotiate challenges with determination and creativity.

Reflecting on the work’s intent, Dr Kishore observes,

“This documentary is a tribute to the communities that keep Chhau alive. It is also dedicated to my parents, whose work in the 1980s laid the foundation for international recognition of the form. Through the lives of Jaggu, Somu, and others, I wanted to record not only their craft but their dignity and resilience.”

Through Purulia Chhau Dance and the Mask Makers: A Reflective Story, Dr Vikrant Kishore demonstrates how film can operate as a tool of preservation, dialogue, and scholarly inquiry. As the documentary continues to travel through film festivals and academic platforms, it stands as a meaningful intervention in discussions about cultural continuity, artistic labour, and the shared responsibility of safeguarding living traditions.