Trust is an intangible thing but something that forms the basis of every relationship. This one abstract concept can build or break any relationship. At one point, trust in the right person can strengthen you as an individual and trust in the wrong person can leave you very vulnerable. But sometimes societal norms and prejudices are so entrenched in our minds that we don’t even realize how they get manifested in real-life actions that insult another person just because they don’t share the same social standing as us. Chi Chi (Dirty) brings to light one such story.
Chi Chi (Dirty): A Closer Look
A short film of about 10 minutes, Chi Chi (Dirty)highlights the trust the protagonist Shreya shares with her maid. The first half of the film is truly heartwarming as we see Shreya taking a stand for her maid who has worked for her for a very long time. We get the impression that Shreya truly believes in equality and won’t stand by any illogical social prejudice. But soon this impression is about to change.
In the second half of the film, we see how quickly Shreya changes her stance the moment a small doubt circling her favourite missing lipstick starts taking root in her head. Her show of solidarity with her maid on treating everyone equally or at least like a decent person goes right out of the window when she becomes suspicious of her maid stealing things from her. To make matters worse she decides to work on these suspicions and does something that creates a huge gap in their trust making a permanent dent in their relationship.
The most interesting bit is, that all of the people in the short film who mistreat the maid are indeed part of the well-educated and upper-middle-class strata of our country’s population. This juxtaposition brings to light the true worth of today’s education which seems pointless as we continue to degrade our very own human race based on illogical social parameters. It begs the question, What’s the point of education if we choose to venture in the dark and swing our cane like a blind man hurting many in the process just like any illiterate person?
Afterword
Written and directed by Surabhi Sarl Sachdev, Chi Chi (Dirty) is bound to leave you asking yourself more questions than feeling warm and fuzzy and content in your little bubble. The beautiful transition from making someone feel good about something to casting a light on the harsh reality may not set well with everyone but is indeed an essential component to draw home the message.
