Dava

Dava is a light-hearted comedic short film written and directed by Prajwal Kalose. The story follows Jia, a 10-year-old Indian-Kiwi girl whose left-handedness sparks cultural chaos during a family pooja. Her traditional grandmother and great-aunt Vimala attempt to “correct” her, leading Jia to navigate love, identity, and generational expectations.

We are a team from Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington, completing the Master of Fine Arts (Creative Practice) Film program. Dava is an end-of-year capstone project which the team has excitedly planned since the beginning of 2025.

Our Crew: 

Writer / Director - Prajwal Kalose

Producer - Jack Gosling

Co-Producer - David Browett

1st Assistant Director - Zara Millikin

Director of Photography / Colourist - Brooke Darrow

Art Director - Ethan Morais and Sahar Fanian

Editor - Alfie Hartsthorne

Gaffers - Jerry Chu and Ashley Pye

Boosted is an all-or-nothing fundraiser, which means if we do not reach our target in time, we will not receive your support. Anything counts and is massively appreciated.

We are students running this show on a shoestring budget. Your money will go to a few key areas we cannot cover on our base-level funding.

These include:

• Additional art department costs
• Koha for actors
• Kai, for those on set
• Transport compensation
• Leftover funding will be dedicated to spreading the joy of Dava with national and international festival entries
• Boosted's 10% fee for transaction costs

Prajwal is originally from Bangalore, India. He wrote Dava, inspired by real experiences within his own family, especially his sister, who was re-moulded to use her right hand despite being a natural left-hander.

The Dava team are emerging professionals, passionate for film-making and, for most of the team, this is the biggest project they have worked on yet. Fostering the next generation of film-makers, such as our entirely student-led crew, will kickstart careers, form creative networks, and reinforce our beautiful multi-cultural arts.

Dava comes to Aotearoa film with a unique point-of-view from India. The story comes from Prajwal's own upbringing, where the older generation often viewed left-handedness as impure. While attitudes are changing today, these beliefs still linger in many families and are carried into the diaspora. Through Dava, we want to explore how tradition and identity collide and evolve across generations.

At its comedic centre, Dava is about the ways "play" builds connection when dealing with familial tension. When you donate to this project, you are supporting the growth of a film-maker community that seeks to foster that spirit in their work. Donations will empower our team to not only tell this story but also build showreels to further create worlds of their own.