A quiet reflection on caste, hunger, and dignity
Short Film | Marathi | 26 minutes | 2026
Embedded Files
This is a true story
This is a true story
Based on the director's childhood in Manjram, a small village in India. This film captures the quiet realities of caste, hunger, and resilience.
Based on the director's childhood in Manjram, a small village in India. This film captures the quiet realities of caste, hunger, and resilience.
Logline
Logline
A boy’s wish for a restaurant rice plate seems small until caste and poverty turn it into an unreachable dream. In that loss, Bala confronts a hunger far greater than food, the hunger for dignity.
A boy’s wish for a restaurant rice plate seems small until caste and poverty turn it into an unreachable dream. In that loss, Bala confronts a hunger far greater than food, the hunger for dignity.
Director’s Statement
Director’s Statement
Thali begins with a childhood moment that reveals how deeply caste shapes even the smallest parts of daily life. As a boy, being denied a simple rice plate left a mark on me not because of the meal, but because of what the moment silently told me about dignity and belonging.
Thali begins with a childhood moment that reveals how deeply caste shapes even the smallest parts of daily life. As a boy, being denied a simple rice plate left a mark on me not because of the meal, but because of what the moment silently told me about dignity and belonging.
My story grows from that memory. My dream of tasting a restaurant's rice plate may seem small, but the refusal is my first glimpse into the quiet violence of caste. I wanted to tell that story not through anger, but through what goes unspoken, the look, the pause, the silence that lingers long after the moment has passed.
My story grows from that memory. My dream of tasting a restaurant's rice plate may seem small, but the refusal is my first glimpse into the quiet violence of caste. I wanted to tell that story not through anger, but through what goes unspoken, the look, the pause, the silence that lingers long after the moment has passed.
Visually, I chose a restrained, naturalistic style: muted colors, static frames, and ambient sound. Every detail reflects rural Maharashtra, its roads, small eateries, and quiet afternoons, grounding the film in realism and memory. Silence becomes the film’s emotional spine, echoing my childhood interior world more honestly than dialogue ever could.
Visually, I chose a restrained, naturalistic style: muted colors, static frames, and ambient sound. Every detail reflects rural Maharashtra, its roads, small eateries, and quiet afternoons, grounding the film in realism and memory. Silence becomes the film’s emotional spine, echoing my childhood interior world more honestly than dialogue ever could.
With Thali, I'm holding up a mirror to how we treat the people we choose not to see. And I hope this perspective reminds viewers that dignity isn’t abstract; it's as essential as sharing a meal without shame.
With Thali, I'm holding up a mirror to how we treat the people we choose not to see. And I hope this perspective reminds viewers that dignity isn’t abstract; it's as essential as sharing a meal without shame.
Writer, Director, and Producer's Bio
Writer, Director, and Producer's Bio
Balaji Waghmare is a designer and filmmaker from rural Maharashtra, whose work is shaped by the lived realities of caste and inequality. What began as a love for sketching and noticing the world grew into a lifelong commitment to visual storytelling.
Balaji Waghmare is a designer and filmmaker from rural Maharashtra, whose work is shaped by the lived realities of caste and inequality. What began as a love for sketching and noticing the world grew into a lifelong commitment to visual storytelling.
He holds a BFA in Applied Arts and a post-graduate degree in Graphic Design from the National Institute of Design (NID), India. Over the past decade, Balaji has designed human-centered digital experiences across education, healthcare, and social impact work grounded in the same instinct that drives his films: to make people feel, reflect, and connect.
He holds a BFA in Applied Arts and a post-graduate degree in Graphic Design from the National Institute of Design (NID), India. Over the past decade, Balaji has designed human-centered digital experiences across education, healthcare, and social impact work grounded in the same instinct that drives his films: to make people feel, reflect, and connect.
His filmmaking turns to the emotional texture of everyday life, exploring dignity, longing, and the quiet moments that reveal who we are. Now based in the U.S. and writing stories rooted in Manjram, Balaji continues to bridge worlds, bringing empathy and intention to every frame, whether on a screen or a canvas.
His filmmaking turns to the emotional texture of everyday life, exploring dignity, longing, and the quiet moments that reveal who we are. Now based in the U.S. and writing stories rooted in Manjram, Balaji continues to bridge worlds, bringing empathy and intention to every frame, whether on a screen or a canvas.
Cast & Crew
Screenplay/Pre-Production
Girgit Studios PVT. LTD.
Writer, Director, and Producer
Balaji Girjabai Raosaheb Waghmare
Director of Photography
Akash Raje
Cast
Santosh Vhadgir
Aniket Jhodhle
Dr. Maruti Gangawane
Cast
Kabir Shashi SKhandare
Sambhaji Tangade
Vaishali Kendale
Vaishnavi Tangade
Cast
Ankush Khandare
Vithal Kamble
Manisha Kamble
EP and Art Director
Santosh Sankhad
Chief Assistant Director
Soumil Kothari
Acting Director
Mahesh Khandare
Costume Designer
Sonali Usharatn
2nd Assistant Director
Ashi Pranjali
Dialogues
Ankush Khandare
Hair and MakeUp
Mangesh Gaikwaad
3rd Assistant Director
Sangharsha Sonali Santosh
Sound Recordist
Akash Laxman Chaaya
Assistant Cinematography
Ajay Nair
Gaffer
Sameer Khan
Focus Pullar
Omkar Bhokaskede
Publicity Design
Balaji Waghmare
Mahesh Dhakne
Art Assistant
Pranav Jadhav
Kiran Gaikwaad
Banti Raam
Sound Designer
Avinash Sonawane
Editor
Soumil Kothari
Music Composer
Dhirendra Mulkalwar
Colour Grading
Aaryaman Kutty
VFX
Arvind Hatnurkar
Tejas Patil
Production
Nagesh Dhange
Atish Wakode
Vishal Waghmare
Ganesh Waghmare
Ritesh Waghmare
Namdev Kamble
Camera Attendant
Debabrata Das
Amit Kumar
Mandeep Kumar
Boom Operator
Sujeet tiwari
Rahul Singh
Transportation
Narayan Bansode
Bhaskar Muttanwad
Balaji Wanole
Sandip Kulkarni
Sunil Gorle
Catering
Virbhadra Nayte
Sunita Chaudhary
Light Boys
Sunil Kumar
Siyaram Yadav
Gulam Shaikh
Light Boys
Ishrar ansari
Mohammad husain
Vivek Singh
Light Boys
Amit Sharma
Pradeep jana
Umesh Yadav
Special Thanks
Vithal Kamble
Dhammpriya Gaikwad
Faruk Ahmad
Solanki Footwear
Kishore Rangnani
Madhav Annapurve
Buddh Vihaar Manjram
Anand Kamble
Buddh Vihar Itwara Nanded
Special Thanks
Girjabai Waghmare
Raosaheb Waghmare
Shivaji Shinde
Pandurang Shinde
Jivan Kamble
Gokul Veg. Restaurant Nanded
ZPH School Manjram
Gram Panchayat Manjram
Ashish Shinde
Special Thanks
Kishore Jondhale
Bittu Jondhale
Ankush Jondhale
Shivlodhan Gaikwad
Mulnayak Vachnalay
Sharad Pawar and Family
Shankar Raipure
Rohidas Raipure
Ambadas Raipure
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