_d.png "Independence Day 2025")
Film on skateboarding courts controversy as activist Reinhard says it’s based on her life; Skater Girl director Makijany asserts it draws from stories across India
A still from Skater Girl
Ulrike Reinhard and Manjari Makijany
In emails sent to Reinhard, which mid-day has access to, the deal of a co-working experience had been set out. “We had Skype calls, in-person meetings with the producer and director in Janwaar and Jaipur, and also interactions with the filmmaker’s sister [Vinati], who had come to Janwaar to cast for the film. I also had a contract to work with them as a research consultant, but I left it because while they had promised to work as co-creators, they were not interested in highlighting our processes,” says Reinhard, further making a case for Gond, whose life story, she asserts, forms the crux of the film. But, Makijany argues that the team interacted with several skateboarding communities across India, and couldn’t limit their portrayal to the story of Gond alone. “They would have liked it if [their names] were significantly present. But how could we take away from the 300 girls across the country who we interviewed, and whose lives we saw had changed,” says Vinati, also the film’s writer.
When mid-day interacted with Gond, she confirmed that a scene in the film was lifted off her interaction with the team, without her approval, but adds that her interaction with the makers had been limited to that occasion alone. “If [Gond] could see her life story in the film from the trailer, we celebrate that, because we wanted to make it relatable. I’ve got so many calls from girls across the country, including those from Brazil and Portugal, saying they could relate to the story. The film is not based on one person or instance,” Makijany signs off.
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