Consent, touch, looks and gestures: ‘What’s the Film About?’

The film begins with Bhat and the children in a car and driving to their destination, singing and squabbling on the way. As the natural landscape passes by the window, the children are sure that they don’t want to talk about good touch and bad touch. “I won’t talk about it. It’s an uncomfortable topic,” says Bhat’s son. Bhat’s daughter asks, “Will a film on bad touch and good touch help anyone?” Again, when Bhat asks, “You don’t want us to talk about this ever?” the child shakes her head and replies,“no”. In the intimacy of their tent, however, they come around to defining good and bad touch and to listen when their minds tell them that they are uncomfortable. Themes of parenting, filmmaking, fear and the importance of talking constantly recur in the film.

On a camping trip in Khopoli, near Pune, during the monsoon of 2023, Bhat had a conversation with her son and her daughter, who were 11 and eight, respectively, about the nuances of touch, looks and gestures in everyday life.

What’s the Film About? has developed wings as it resonated with people across the world. It premiered in the competition section in the short film category at Visions Du Reel in Switzerland in April, was shown at the BFI London Film Festival and had its Asia premiere at the Dharamsala Film Festival recently. On November 19, it will be screened at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.

“While I was filming our conversation, it took me by surprise as it went in different directions. I thought that the conversation would be very easy. I have been having the conversation with them over the last few years but this one was a little more detailed and there was also the presence of the camera,” says Bhat, who is, both, a mother and a filmmaker in this creative documentary.

Bhat has encountered adults who are resistant about showing the film to their children as well as those who want their children to watch it. But, the majority of the audiences have responded “really emotionally”. “Indian families do not really don’t talk about this. People have said, ‘Thank you for saying what our parents should have said,’” says Bhat, who has a background in banking and translation before she began making films six years ago after training at a basic film school in Bengaluru.

“For me, it’s really like a family film. It is not instructional or preachy. It’s a film that children and parents can watch and look at as a conversation starter,” says Bhat. At present, she is crowdfunding for an impact campaign on making conversations less awkward on safe and unsafe touch. “The ultimate dream would be to have this film as a resource for children when they’re growing up,” she says.