New Delhi: Anu Singh Choudhary’s 15-minute short film Selfie, Please, left nearly everyone in tears. The film, about life with Down Syndrome, is inspired by Choudhary’s cousin Ananya.
Delhi Teachers University, in partnership with the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, hosted a special screening of the film at Samvet Auditorium on 29 August. The film was introduced by theatre expert and academician Malavika Joshi, and Vice Chancellor of Delhi Teachers University, Anu Singh Lather.
“It is our responsibility to bridge the disconnect between higher education and theatre/media. From this platform, I urge theatre and media professionals to engage with universities. Students are highly enthusiastic, and collaborating with them will be a rewarding experience for you,” said Lather in her opening remarks.
Selfie, Please is told through the eyes of Anjali, a young Odissi dancer whose sister has Down Syndrome. Anjali is envious of what she sees as ‘preferential treatment’ given to her elder sister Ananya.
As Anjali prepares for her Odissi recital after a hiatus, her sister accidentally drops alta on her pristine white costume. Anjali lashes out, and soon Ananya goes missing. What happens next forms the plot of the award-winning movie.
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21 years in the making
Following the screening, a special discussion was held on the theme ‘The Myth of a Normal Family’. The panel featured Chaudhary, Joshi, and iCANthink founder Deepa Garwa. The discussion was moderated by Dr. Sanjeev Rai, Registrar of Delhi Teachers University.
Choudhary, who is also the screenwriter of the Hindi movie Mrs (2025) and the web series Aarya (2020-23), starring Sushmita Sen, spoke of the guiding principle behind the film.
“I wanted dignity to be the keyword of the film,” said Chaudhary, highlighting why Ananya’s mother, played by Sarika Singh, emphasises that both sisters be treated equally.
The director wanted to be sure of every single frame and moment that make up her film.
“The film has been nearly 21 years in the making. I wanted to make sure that the film is made in a very specific way. I observed Ananya and even Anjali, who is a friend’s daughter. I wanted to portray the characters as who they are, with all their flaws and vulnerabilities,” said Choudhary.
Choudhary credits the actors for immediately saying yes to being part of her film, especially the actors who play the parents. When she sent her script to Vikas Kumar, who plays the father, he immediately agreed, even though Choudhary would not be able to pay him. “He just said, give me a rose as the remuneration,” said Choudhary.
Singh even gave up an ad to shoot the film. It was completed in three days in Mumbai.
It received Honourable Jury Mention at the Indian World Film Festival 2025, Honourable Jury Mention at the Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival 2025, and won the Best Screenplay at Bangalore Short Film Festival 2025.
Not ‘special’
When the lights came back on after 15 minutes of darkness, the room burst into a resounding applause.
During the panel discussion, other members also spoke of their response to the film and its impact.
“I was very upset with the mother because she is constantly talking about equality, and she is a bit biased toward Anjali. But at the very end, when Ananya buys the saree with her sister, it shows the idea of equality,’ said Joshi.
She went on to share her own experience of witnessing parents bringing up children with Down syndrome, and how it can be challenging.
An audience member, also an educator, requested that Chaudhary travel to Kolkata to show the film for more awareness. Another wanted to know if the film can be part of school curriculum, so that even children can learn about Down syndrome and be sensitised towards those who are born with the condition.
For parents who have children with Down Syndrome in the panel, the film was a moment of both catharsis and visibility.
“I have mostly seen films that look at Down Syndrome with sympathy. Watching Selfie, Please was heartening because it does not put the family on a pedestal as ‘special’. There are everyday elements of mischief, fights, and ‘normalcy’, which is how people with Down’s Syndrome also experience life,” said Garwa, who is the parent to a child with Down Syndrome.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)