Jun 24 2025 to Jun 24 2025 6:30 p.m.

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

60 minutes | Hindi with English subtitles | 2020 | India

The Unreserved is an intimate exploration of the lives of passengers who travel in the Unreserved Compartment—the most economical way to journey across India via the Indian Railways. Through candid conversations and personal stories, the film captures the aspirations, struggles, and perspectives of these travelers.

Since its release, The Unreserved has been showcased at several notable festivals, including Film Southasia 2017 (Nepal), the EFF BRICS Film Festival 2017 (Russia), the South Asian International Docufest 2018 (USA), and the PAME Film and Music Festival 2020 (Nepal). Most recently, it was screened at Screen Southasia 2025 (Online). The film was honoured with the National Film Award for Best On-Location Sound at the 65th National Film Awards in 2018.

The screening will be followed by a conversation between the Director, Samarth Mahajan and Mahima Venugopalan which will be followed by a Q&A session with the audience.

Speakers

Samarth Mahajan
Filmmaker
Samarth Mahajan is a Mumbai-based filmmaker, passionate about telling human stories that remain invisible to the mainstream. ‘The Unreserved’, his national award-winning debut feature about stories from general compartments of Indian Railways, premiered at Film Southasia 2017, and received broadcast & theatrical releases in India. “Borderlands”, his second feature about lives defined by India’s borders, premiered at DOK.fest München 2021, and screened at film festivals across six continents to favorable reviews. He is now writing his narrative feature debut, and developing it at the Writers INK Screenwriting Lab, an idea-to-draft lab supported by the Ford Foundation. 

Mahima Venugopalan
Interlocutor