BEGINNING TITLES
02:01:12 - 02:04:12
Indie Films and the Jan Vrijman Fund present
02:07:00 - 02:10: 00
manjuben truck driver (subtitle) Miss Manju – truck driver
SUBTITLES
05:30:15 - 05:32:15
Empty… empty
06:49:00 - 06:51:03
Shall I order it…
06:52:03 - 06:54:05
…or send him to pick it up
07:30:04 - 07:32:18
Finish fast so I can leave
07:38:23 - 07:41:16
Fix the doorstep and the lock
08:40:19 - 08:42:05
Give me some…
08:51:02 - 08:53:16
Here, throw this out
09:23:09 - 09:25:14
Half ‘Shiva’ - half ‘Shakti’
09:25:22 - 09:28:09
Just like me, isn’t it?
09:30:00 - 09:32:21
We really need the Goddess of Wealth
09:38:00 - 09:39:16
Shiva and Shakti!
09:40:10 - 09:43:09
Half man, half woman!
09:46:14 - 09:49:04
I am ‘Shiva’.. - No way sir!
09:49:21 - 09:52:06
Both male and female powers are in me
09:52:12 - 09:54:18
I don’t need anyone else‘s power
09:58:08 - 10:00:09
All you do is sit around
10:00:20 - 10:03:09
Look at the dust – clean it now!
10:07:17 - 10:09:00
Hold on…
10:09:06 - 10:10:21
I’m holding!
10:30:19 - 10:32:05
Okay?
10:53:18 - 10:55:19
Miss Manji…
10:56:02 - 10:58:21
…here’s your ‘masala’ (betel nut mix)
11:07:13 - 11:08:22
Here…
11:14:06 - 11:16:09
Pass the tobacco mixture
11:28:13 - 11:31:02
There’s too much lime in this mix…
11:31:08 - 11:32:21
…it burns my mouth
11:34:12 - 11:36:01
Give me another toffee…
11:36:07 - 11:38:08
Should I buy you the whole shop?
11:38:13 - 11:40:10
Come here, Narsi Bhai!
11:41:16 - 11:43:09
Don’t you want some ‘masala’?
11:45:20 - 11:47:21
Were you avoiding me?
11:48:00 - 11:49:07
No…
11:49:11 - 11:51:05
What would you like?
11:51:21 - 11:53:10
Make him a plain one
11:57:06 - 11:58:21
Oh my god…
11:59:23 - 12:01:01
here!
12:01:19 - 12:03:04
Don’t throw them…
12:15:24 - 12:18:00
Does it cool ok?
12:19:19 - 12:21:15
Two hundred and ten thousand
12:21:23 - 12:23:19
I’ll have to see the car
12:24:04 - 12:25:18
It’s white - white colour?
12:26:03 - 12:29:17
Ok final is final – shake on it!
12:30:12 - 12:33:11
Now keep your word and take the car
12:33:21 - 12:35:13
Don’t disappear!
12:39:22 - 12:42:13
We leave at 2 at night…
12:43:18 - 12:47:14
… and reach Delhi the next night
12:48:22 - 12:50:13
We rarely stop
12:50:22 - 12:53:16
Vegetables have to reach in 24 hrs
12:54:21 - 12:56:14
2 drivers and a cleaner…
12:57:05 - 12:59:03
…with 12 hours duty each
12:59:18 - 13:01:05
One drives 12 hours…
13:01:11 - 13:03:03
…then the other drives
13:07:23 - 13:10:09
It’s a trouble-free ride
13:12:06 - 13:14:06
All good drivers…
13:14:17 - 13:17:17
…give way without being asked
13:19:24 - 13:22:06
Some bastards don’t
13:27:19 - 13:30:15
Then I also behave like a bastard…
13:33:17 - 13:37:12
…I make sure I get ahead of them
15:00:09 - 15:02:23
You with the evil eye…
15:03:14 - 15:06:03
…shame on you!
18:29:17 - 18:32:04
As a child - I liked danger
18:32:15 - 18:35:19
I was always getting into trouble
18:36:08 - 18:39:18
The business I chose is also dangerous
18:40:06 - 18:43:17
These are known as my ‘danger wheels’
18:45:02 - 18:47:23
This is a dangerous business…
18:54:02 - 18:56:07
I had 8 trucks…
18:57:02 - 18:59:07
… sold them all
19:00:18 - 19:02:03
If I had kept them…
19:02:12 - 19:04:17
…I would have lost all my hair
19:07:02 - 19:09:15
When I got my first truck…
19:10:19 - 19:12:11
… I drove it myself…
19:12:19 - 19:15:18
…In 10 months I bought another
19:16:17 - 19:18:13
I earned so much then
19:19:13 - 19:21:04
Go
22:20:08 - 22:22:22
At night on the highway
22:23:12 - 22:26:06
people hide behind trees…
22:27:05 - 22:29:19
…and stone passing trucks
22:30:10 - 22:32:24
If you stop to check the damage,
22:34:15 - 22:37:04
the gang will jump on you…
22:38:03 - 22:41:02
…and loot your money
22:42:01 - 22:45:01
I never stop - if the glass breaks…
22:45:11 - 22:48:14
…or I get hurt - I keep going
22:49:00 - 22:50:24
It’s all for money
22:51:11 - 22:53:09
We drive for money…
22:53:21 - 22:57:01
…they rob and murder for money
22:58:07 - 22:59:22
This business is like that
23:00:08 - 23:02:14
You take a beating all the time
23:24:15 - 23:26:11
Where’s the beer?
23:26:22 - 23:28:18
Get some beer
23:39:00 - 23:41:24
There’s too much traffic in the evening
23:42:07 - 23:45:06
Yes, it’s bad until 9:30
23:47:17 - 23:49:14
I like driving at night…
23:49:19 - 23:51:22
…feels like I’m gliding
23:52:14 - 23:55:10
Yes, it’s nice and cool at night
24:53:06 - 24:56:05
Why have you changed the crown?
24:58:09 - 25:01:08
The crown and clutch are broken
25:04:06 - 25:06:20
You have to align this…
25:11:15 - 25:14:14
Tell us if you need help
25:15:16 - 25:18:03
We’re from Mansa - in Gujarat
25:39:02 - 25:40:13
I wish it were black
25:47:07 - 25:48:12
Are you flattering me?
25:48:18 - 25:50:03
Believe me, you look first class
26:23:19 - 26:26:05
Face this way…
26:28:18 - 26:31:04
Touch her feet
26:32:23 - 26:35:22
No, no… with both hands
26:36:12 - 26:38:11
Touch her feet
26:47:23 - 26:49:03
Smile…
26:50:10 - 26:51:21
Smile Bhoomi…
26:55:01 - 26:56:12
Look at me
27:01:09 - 27:03:20
You’ve been photographed!
27:05:17 - 27:07:18
How serious he looks!
27:19:13 - 27:22:05
Big daddy, have a ‘papad’
27:54:16 - 27:57:15
Mother hated it when I cut my hair
27:58:16 - 28:01:12
She wouldn’t talk to me
28:01:24 - 28:04:23
She’d taunt me every day
28:06:02 - 28:09:01
I had to cover my head in her presence
28:10:17 - 28:13:09
My recent photos look the same…
28:13:18 - 28:16:10
…as the ones taken 20 years ago
28:16:18 - 28:19:01
Just a little fatter now
28:23:21 - 28:26:18
I always loved driving trucks…
28:28:06 - 28:30:23
…I bought one to fulfill my desire
28:32:01 - 28:34:12
Then it became a business
28:39:18 - 28:41:17
Wearing a pant and shirt…
28:41:24 - 28:44:17
…traveling, driving, making money…
28:54:23 - 28:57:20
They’ve come out well
29:03:23 - 29:06:09
Good photographs
29:14:15 - 29:16:20
I need to lose weight
29:17:05 - 29:19:13
You look dangerous like this
29:19:17 - 29:21:22
I just look fat
29:22:13 - 29:25:01
I’ll have to stitch a new suit
29:25:20 - 29:27:17
Like the Taliban in Afghanistan
29:29:05 - 29:32:07
These won’t do for my New Year card
32:01:15 - 32:04:04
I’ve phoned so many times…
32:19:11 - 32:22:10
I haven’t been well for some time
32:23:05 - 32:25:07
Did you cast a spell on me?
32:25:16 - 32:27:01
Cast a spell… me?
32:29:19 - 32:31:16
Who else but you?
32:33:05 - 32:35:21
I must see a doctor…
32:41:05 - 32:43:22
…I can’t move this wrist
32:45:00 - 32:47:24
I’d never cast a spell…
32:49:13 - 32:52:03
You’re unlucky for me
32:53:24 - 32:57:04
I’m busy sunday and tuesday…
32:58:07 - 33:01:07
…shall we meet on monday?
33:01:17 - 33:04:22
I can’t… I have to be home
33:07:08 - 33:10:00
I’m going to Delhi on the weekend
33:10:12 - 33:11:20
Why?
33:12:03 - 33:15:02
I have work there…
33:17:15 - 33:20:09
I’ll be back in a week
33:20:18 - 33:23:05
No… don’t go
33:27:24 - 33:29:02
Delhi…
33:29:12 - 33:31:07
…we’ll live there some day
36:44:15 - 36:46:23
There’s been an accident
37:26:21 - 37:28:19
It’s skidded…
37:29:01 - 37:30:22
…right to the opposite side!
40:03:14 - 40:06:12
I was married at 16
40:07:05 - 40:10:04
I didn’t know what it meant…
40:12:09 - 40:14:15
…I realised later
40:15:03 - 40:18:20
I told him I didn’t want to stay with him
40:20:05 - 40:22:04
I want to travel…
40:22:13 - 40:24:24
…I want fulfill all my desires
40:25:06 - 40:27:20
I’m not the kind to stay at home
40:28:12 - 40:31:08
I had a great desire to earn money
40:35:09 - 40:36:24
So I told him
40:37:10 - 40:39:07
I divorced him
40:49:17 - 40:51:06
He’s a boy…
40:51:12 - 40:52:24
…without a moustache
40:53:09 - 40:55:08
So people think
40:58:04 - 41:00:15
When I talk to them - they ask…
41:01:09 - 41:03:08
…where are you from?
41:05:06 - 41:09:02
They whisper - Is this a girl or boy?
41:09:12 - 41:10:21
They can’t tell
41:11:14 - 41:13:11
I stop to eat - and leave
41:15:18 - 41:18:00
After I’ve left, someone might say…
41:18:09 - 41:20:06
…that driver was a girl
41:20:11 - 41:21:10
‘Really…
41:21:20 - 41:25:06
…she spoke to us – we couldn’t tell!’
41:51:16 - 41:55:03
I often get in trouble with the police
41:56:11 - 42:00:16
They think I’m a beardless boy driving
42:02:11 - 42:04:20
They demand a fine
42:07:02 - 42:09:10
I say - why should I pay?
42:11:02 - 42:13:01
They ask my age…
42:13:24 - 42:17:00
…and are furious when I tell them
42:17:13 - 42:19:07
Then they see my license and say…
42:19:13 - 42:21:04
…this is a woman’s licence
42:21:17 - 42:25:07
So I say, did you think I was a man?
42:28:15 - 42:31:20
Women pilot planes these days…
42:32:01 - 42:34:00
…don't they?
42:37:00 - 42:39:04
There are women far ahead of me…
42:40:07 - 42:43:13
…pilots, doctors, engineers
42:43:21 - 42:45:18
what am I…
42:46:05 - 42:48:06
…so what if I drive a truck
42:55:12 - 42:57:17
Once a road officer stopped me
42:59:08 - 43:01:07
He called me out
43:03:23 - 43:06:17
he put his arm around my shoulder…
43:11:00 - 43:12:24
…and demanded a 100 rupees
43:13:11 - 43:14:21
I said… why?
43:19:02 - 43:21:01
My papers are complete
43:21:18 - 43:24:21
I have just a few passengers…
43:25:24 - 43:28:08
…after all we were just eleven
43:30:02 - 43:32:01
My insurance is complete
43:32:18 - 43:34:17
Why should I pay?
43:36:05 - 43:37:22
When I showed him my license,
43:38:14 - 43:41:09
he said, ‘This isn’t yours, It’s a girls!’
43:41:16 - 43:44:00
So, do I look like a man to you?
43:44:10 - 43:45:14
He looked at me…
43:46:00 - 43:47:21
…and threw his arm off my shoulder
43:48:17 - 43:52:05
Forget 100, he didn’t even ask for 10!
44:01:02 - 44:03:05
There’s always a destination
44:03:19 - 44:05:18
We leave home to get to Delhi
44:07:01 - 44:09:00
To reach our goal…
44:10:00 - 44:13:09
…we drive fast with few stops
44:13:24 - 44:16:14
We leave Delhi to get home
44:18:05 - 44:20:13
Everyone hurries home…
44:22:02 - 44:24:12
… that makes the truck go even faster
44:25:03 - 44:26:09
In 4 days,
44:26:18 - 44:28:15
We empty the truck in Delhi…
44:28:21 - 44:31:08
…reload, and get back to Mansa
44:47:19 - 44:49:18
my ambition is to make money…
44:52:08 - 44:54:07
…and also to travel
44:55:09 - 44:58:02
since I drive, I’m always traveling
45:03:03 - 45:05:02
Once a year I take off in my jeep…
45:05:19 - 45:07:18
…for a holiday with my girlfriends
45:10:23 - 45:13:14
Savita… Amita…
45:16:08 - 45:19:20
Jivi… Manjula…
45:27:23 - 45:31:11
We go to Abu, Ambaji, Ramdeora…
45:48:17 - 45:50:20
If you are a man, you take a wife
45:51:02 - 45:53:01
When you are tired…
45:53:12 - 45:55:02
…your wife will take care of you
45:55:09 - 45:57:01
Who will wait on me?
45:57:16 - 46:00:03
When I’m tired, I just go to sleep
46:01:03 - 46:03:15
Who will ask how I’m feeling…
46:04:15 - 46:06:05
…will anyone care?
49:26:09 - 49:28:08
Call the service station
49:29:05 - 49:31:23
Tell them to keep a space for my truck
49:52:04 - 49:54:03
Go ahead, break it!
50:00:19 - 50:03:17
Don’t leave out a single hair
50:22:03 - 50:25:00
That was good - I enjoyed that
50:31:15 - 50:33:14
We’re running out of time
50:34:02 - 50:36:01
Fit this quickly
50:37:16 - 50:39:20
Here… don’t waste time
50:45:06 - 50:47:05
Won’t this do for now?
50:55:06 - 50:57:05
Give it a thorough service
50:58:21 - 51:01:02
Hurry! I’m late
52:03:14 - 52:05:19
What else to do…
52:06:06 - 52:09:06
…nobody can say anything to me
END TITLES
52:34:00 - 52:37:12
Grateful thanks to Manjula Prajapati,
her family and friends
52:38:12 - 52:41:12
also to everyone at Amee Roadways
52:42:12 - 52:46:12
roadside stops
Annapurna Dhaaba, Raj Purohit Hotel,
Chetna Driver Dhaaba, Ganpati Highway Hotel, Sindhi ka Dhaaba
52:47:12 - 52:51:12
acknowledgements Sanjay Prasad, Sanjay Solanki, Shalin AJ,
Jagdish Nachnekar
52:52:12 - 52:55:12
transport
Chamunda Travels, R C Travels
52:56:12 - 52:59:12
assistance in research
Anupama Chatterjee, Dina Mehta
53:00:12 - 53:03:12
equipment
Setu films, Nand Kumar, Sync Sound,
Madhu Apsara
53:04:12 - 53:07:12
post production
Studio Agnee-taar, Fireflys Post Sound
53:08:12 - 53:11:12
technical assistance
Shan Mohammed
53:12:12 - 53:15:12
producer
Sehjo Singh
53:20:12 - 53:23:12
camera
Mohanan
53:24:12 - 53:27:12
sound recording and sound design
Madhu Apsara
53:28:12 - 53:31:12
editor
Lalitha Krishna
53:32:12 - 53:35:12
director
Sherna Dastur
53:38:12 - 53:41:12
This documentary has been realized with the support of the Jan Vrijman Fund
53:42:12 - 53:45:00
02:01:12 - 02:04:12
Indie Films and the Jan Vrijman Fund present
02:07:00 - 02:10: 00
manjuben truck driver (subtitle) Miss Manju – truck driver
SUBTITLES
05:30:15 - 05:32:15
Empty… empty
06:49:00 - 06:51:03
Shall I order it…
06:52:03 - 06:54:05
…or send him to pick it up
07:30:04 - 07:32:18
Finish fast so I can leave
07:38:23 - 07:41:16
Fix the doorstep and the lock
08:40:19 - 08:42:05
Give me some…
08:51:02 - 08:53:16
Here, throw this out
09:23:09 - 09:25:14
Half ‘Shiva’ - half ‘Shakti’
09:25:22 - 09:28:09
Just like me, isn’t it?
09:30:00 - 09:32:21
We really need the Goddess of Wealth
09:38:00 - 09:39:16
Shiva and Shakti!
09:40:10 - 09:43:09
Half man, half woman!
09:46:14 - 09:49:04
I am ‘Shiva’.. - No way sir!
09:49:21 - 09:52:06
Both male and female powers are in me
09:52:12 - 09:54:18
I don’t need anyone else‘s power
09:58:08 - 10:00:09
All you do is sit around
10:00:20 - 10:03:09
Look at the dust – clean it now!
10:07:17 - 10:09:00
Hold on…
10:09:06 - 10:10:21
I’m holding!
10:30:19 - 10:32:05
Okay?
10:53:18 - 10:55:19
Miss Manji…
10:56:02 - 10:58:21
…here’s your ‘masala’ (betel nut mix)
11:07:13 - 11:08:22
Here…
11:14:06 - 11:16:09
Pass the tobacco mixture
11:28:13 - 11:31:02
There’s too much lime in this mix…
11:31:08 - 11:32:21
…it burns my mouth
11:34:12 - 11:36:01
Give me another toffee…
11:36:07 - 11:38:08
Should I buy you the whole shop?
11:38:13 - 11:40:10
Come here, Narsi Bhai!
11:41:16 - 11:43:09
Don’t you want some ‘masala’?
11:45:20 - 11:47:21
Were you avoiding me?
11:48:00 - 11:49:07
No…
11:49:11 - 11:51:05
What would you like?
11:51:21 - 11:53:10
Make him a plain one
11:57:06 - 11:58:21
Oh my god…
11:59:23 - 12:01:01
here!
12:01:19 - 12:03:04
Don’t throw them…
12:15:24 - 12:18:00
Does it cool ok?
12:19:19 - 12:21:15
Two hundred and ten thousand
12:21:23 - 12:23:19
I’ll have to see the car
12:24:04 - 12:25:18
It’s white - white colour?
12:26:03 - 12:29:17
Ok final is final – shake on it!
12:30:12 - 12:33:11
Now keep your word and take the car
12:33:21 - 12:35:13
Don’t disappear!
12:39:22 - 12:42:13
We leave at 2 at night…
12:43:18 - 12:47:14
… and reach Delhi the next night
12:48:22 - 12:50:13
We rarely stop
12:50:22 - 12:53:16
Vegetables have to reach in 24 hrs
12:54:21 - 12:56:14
2 drivers and a cleaner…
12:57:05 - 12:59:03
…with 12 hours duty each
12:59:18 - 13:01:05
One drives 12 hours…
13:01:11 - 13:03:03
…then the other drives
13:07:23 - 13:10:09
It’s a trouble-free ride
13:12:06 - 13:14:06
All good drivers…
13:14:17 - 13:17:17
…give way without being asked
13:19:24 - 13:22:06
Some bastards don’t
13:27:19 - 13:30:15
Then I also behave like a bastard…
13:33:17 - 13:37:12
…I make sure I get ahead of them
15:00:09 - 15:02:23
You with the evil eye…
15:03:14 - 15:06:03
…shame on you!
18:29:17 - 18:32:04
As a child - I liked danger
18:32:15 - 18:35:19
I was always getting into trouble
18:36:08 - 18:39:18
The business I chose is also dangerous
18:40:06 - 18:43:17
These are known as my ‘danger wheels’
18:45:02 - 18:47:23
This is a dangerous business…
18:54:02 - 18:56:07
I had 8 trucks…
18:57:02 - 18:59:07
… sold them all
19:00:18 - 19:02:03
If I had kept them…
19:02:12 - 19:04:17
…I would have lost all my hair
19:07:02 - 19:09:15
When I got my first truck…
19:10:19 - 19:12:11
… I drove it myself…
19:12:19 - 19:15:18
…In 10 months I bought another
19:16:17 - 19:18:13
I earned so much then
19:19:13 - 19:21:04
Go
22:20:08 - 22:22:22
At night on the highway
22:23:12 - 22:26:06
people hide behind trees…
22:27:05 - 22:29:19
…and stone passing trucks
22:30:10 - 22:32:24
If you stop to check the damage,
22:34:15 - 22:37:04
the gang will jump on you…
22:38:03 - 22:41:02
…and loot your money
22:42:01 - 22:45:01
I never stop - if the glass breaks…
22:45:11 - 22:48:14
…or I get hurt - I keep going
22:49:00 - 22:50:24
It’s all for money
22:51:11 - 22:53:09
We drive for money…
22:53:21 - 22:57:01
…they rob and murder for money
22:58:07 - 22:59:22
This business is like that
23:00:08 - 23:02:14
You take a beating all the time
23:24:15 - 23:26:11
Where’s the beer?
23:26:22 - 23:28:18
Get some beer
23:39:00 - 23:41:24
There’s too much traffic in the evening
23:42:07 - 23:45:06
Yes, it’s bad until 9:30
23:47:17 - 23:49:14
I like driving at night…
23:49:19 - 23:51:22
…feels like I’m gliding
23:52:14 - 23:55:10
Yes, it’s nice and cool at night
24:53:06 - 24:56:05
Why have you changed the crown?
24:58:09 - 25:01:08
The crown and clutch are broken
25:04:06 - 25:06:20
You have to align this…
25:11:15 - 25:14:14
Tell us if you need help
25:15:16 - 25:18:03
We’re from Mansa - in Gujarat
25:39:02 - 25:40:13
I wish it were black
25:47:07 - 25:48:12
Are you flattering me?
25:48:18 - 25:50:03
Believe me, you look first class
26:23:19 - 26:26:05
Face this way…
26:28:18 - 26:31:04
Touch her feet
26:32:23 - 26:35:22
No, no… with both hands
26:36:12 - 26:38:11
Touch her feet
26:47:23 - 26:49:03
Smile…
26:50:10 - 26:51:21
Smile Bhoomi…
26:55:01 - 26:56:12
Look at me
27:01:09 - 27:03:20
You’ve been photographed!
27:05:17 - 27:07:18
How serious he looks!
27:19:13 - 27:22:05
Big daddy, have a ‘papad’
27:54:16 - 27:57:15
Mother hated it when I cut my hair
27:58:16 - 28:01:12
She wouldn’t talk to me
28:01:24 - 28:04:23
She’d taunt me every day
28:06:02 - 28:09:01
I had to cover my head in her presence
28:10:17 - 28:13:09
My recent photos look the same…
28:13:18 - 28:16:10
…as the ones taken 20 years ago
28:16:18 - 28:19:01
Just a little fatter now
28:23:21 - 28:26:18
I always loved driving trucks…
28:28:06 - 28:30:23
…I bought one to fulfill my desire
28:32:01 - 28:34:12
Then it became a business
28:39:18 - 28:41:17
Wearing a pant and shirt…
28:41:24 - 28:44:17
…traveling, driving, making money…
28:54:23 - 28:57:20
They’ve come out well
29:03:23 - 29:06:09
Good photographs
29:14:15 - 29:16:20
I need to lose weight
29:17:05 - 29:19:13
You look dangerous like this
29:19:17 - 29:21:22
I just look fat
29:22:13 - 29:25:01
I’ll have to stitch a new suit
29:25:20 - 29:27:17
Like the Taliban in Afghanistan
29:29:05 - 29:32:07
These won’t do for my New Year card
32:01:15 - 32:04:04
I’ve phoned so many times…
32:19:11 - 32:22:10
I haven’t been well for some time
32:23:05 - 32:25:07
Did you cast a spell on me?
32:25:16 - 32:27:01
Cast a spell… me?
32:29:19 - 32:31:16
Who else but you?
32:33:05 - 32:35:21
I must see a doctor…
32:41:05 - 32:43:22
…I can’t move this wrist
32:45:00 - 32:47:24
I’d never cast a spell…
32:49:13 - 32:52:03
You’re unlucky for me
32:53:24 - 32:57:04
I’m busy sunday and tuesday…
32:58:07 - 33:01:07
…shall we meet on monday?
33:01:17 - 33:04:22
I can’t… I have to be home
33:07:08 - 33:10:00
I’m going to Delhi on the weekend
33:10:12 - 33:11:20
Why?
33:12:03 - 33:15:02
I have work there…
33:17:15 - 33:20:09
I’ll be back in a week
33:20:18 - 33:23:05
No… don’t go
33:27:24 - 33:29:02
Delhi…
33:29:12 - 33:31:07
…we’ll live there some day
36:44:15 - 36:46:23
There’s been an accident
37:26:21 - 37:28:19
It’s skidded…
37:29:01 - 37:30:22
…right to the opposite side!
40:03:14 - 40:06:12
I was married at 16
40:07:05 - 40:10:04
I didn’t know what it meant…
40:12:09 - 40:14:15
…I realised later
40:15:03 - 40:18:20
I told him I didn’t want to stay with him
40:20:05 - 40:22:04
I want to travel…
40:22:13 - 40:24:24
…I want fulfill all my desires
40:25:06 - 40:27:20
I’m not the kind to stay at home
40:28:12 - 40:31:08
I had a great desire to earn money
40:35:09 - 40:36:24
So I told him
40:37:10 - 40:39:07
I divorced him
40:49:17 - 40:51:06
He’s a boy…
40:51:12 - 40:52:24
…without a moustache
40:53:09 - 40:55:08
So people think
40:58:04 - 41:00:15
When I talk to them - they ask…
41:01:09 - 41:03:08
…where are you from?
41:05:06 - 41:09:02
They whisper - Is this a girl or boy?
41:09:12 - 41:10:21
They can’t tell
41:11:14 - 41:13:11
I stop to eat - and leave
41:15:18 - 41:18:00
After I’ve left, someone might say…
41:18:09 - 41:20:06
…that driver was a girl
41:20:11 - 41:21:10
‘Really…
41:21:20 - 41:25:06
…she spoke to us – we couldn’t tell!’
41:51:16 - 41:55:03
I often get in trouble with the police
41:56:11 - 42:00:16
They think I’m a beardless boy driving
42:02:11 - 42:04:20
They demand a fine
42:07:02 - 42:09:10
I say - why should I pay?
42:11:02 - 42:13:01
They ask my age…
42:13:24 - 42:17:00
…and are furious when I tell them
42:17:13 - 42:19:07
Then they see my license and say…
42:19:13 - 42:21:04
…this is a woman’s licence
42:21:17 - 42:25:07
So I say, did you think I was a man?
42:28:15 - 42:31:20
Women pilot planes these days…
42:32:01 - 42:34:00
…don't they?
42:37:00 - 42:39:04
There are women far ahead of me…
42:40:07 - 42:43:13
…pilots, doctors, engineers
42:43:21 - 42:45:18
what am I…
42:46:05 - 42:48:06
…so what if I drive a truck
42:55:12 - 42:57:17
Once a road officer stopped me
42:59:08 - 43:01:07
He called me out
43:03:23 - 43:06:17
he put his arm around my shoulder…
43:11:00 - 43:12:24
…and demanded a 100 rupees
43:13:11 - 43:14:21
I said… why?
43:19:02 - 43:21:01
My papers are complete
43:21:18 - 43:24:21
I have just a few passengers…
43:25:24 - 43:28:08
…after all we were just eleven
43:30:02 - 43:32:01
My insurance is complete
43:32:18 - 43:34:17
Why should I pay?
43:36:05 - 43:37:22
When I showed him my license,
43:38:14 - 43:41:09
he said, ‘This isn’t yours, It’s a girls!’
43:41:16 - 43:44:00
So, do I look like a man to you?
43:44:10 - 43:45:14
He looked at me…
43:46:00 - 43:47:21
…and threw his arm off my shoulder
43:48:17 - 43:52:05
Forget 100, he didn’t even ask for 10!
44:01:02 - 44:03:05
There’s always a destination
44:03:19 - 44:05:18
We leave home to get to Delhi
44:07:01 - 44:09:00
To reach our goal…
44:10:00 - 44:13:09
…we drive fast with few stops
44:13:24 - 44:16:14
We leave Delhi to get home
44:18:05 - 44:20:13
Everyone hurries home…
44:22:02 - 44:24:12
… that makes the truck go even faster
44:25:03 - 44:26:09
In 4 days,
44:26:18 - 44:28:15
We empty the truck in Delhi…
44:28:21 - 44:31:08
…reload, and get back to Mansa
44:47:19 - 44:49:18
my ambition is to make money…
44:52:08 - 44:54:07
…and also to travel
44:55:09 - 44:58:02
since I drive, I’m always traveling
45:03:03 - 45:05:02
Once a year I take off in my jeep…
45:05:19 - 45:07:18
…for a holiday with my girlfriends
45:10:23 - 45:13:14
Savita… Amita…
45:16:08 - 45:19:20
Jivi… Manjula…
45:27:23 - 45:31:11
We go to Abu, Ambaji, Ramdeora…
45:48:17 - 45:50:20
If you are a man, you take a wife
45:51:02 - 45:53:01
When you are tired…
45:53:12 - 45:55:02
…your wife will take care of you
45:55:09 - 45:57:01
Who will wait on me?
45:57:16 - 46:00:03
When I’m tired, I just go to sleep
46:01:03 - 46:03:15
Who will ask how I’m feeling…
46:04:15 - 46:06:05
…will anyone care?
49:26:09 - 49:28:08
Call the service station
49:29:05 - 49:31:23
Tell them to keep a space for my truck
49:52:04 - 49:54:03
Go ahead, break it!
50:00:19 - 50:03:17
Don’t leave out a single hair
50:22:03 - 50:25:00
That was good - I enjoyed that
50:31:15 - 50:33:14
We’re running out of time
50:34:02 - 50:36:01
Fit this quickly
50:37:16 - 50:39:20
Here… don’t waste time
50:45:06 - 50:47:05
Won’t this do for now?
50:55:06 - 50:57:05
Give it a thorough service
50:58:21 - 51:01:02
Hurry! I’m late
52:03:14 - 52:05:19
What else to do…
52:06:06 - 52:09:06
…nobody can say anything to me
END TITLES
52:34:00 - 52:37:12
Grateful thanks to Manjula Prajapati,
her family and friends
52:38:12 - 52:41:12
also to everyone at Amee Roadways
52:42:12 - 52:46:12
roadside stops
Annapurna Dhaaba, Raj Purohit Hotel,
Chetna Driver Dhaaba, Ganpati Highway Hotel, Sindhi ka Dhaaba
52:47:12 - 52:51:12
acknowledgements Sanjay Prasad, Sanjay Solanki, Shalin AJ,
Jagdish Nachnekar
52:52:12 - 52:55:12
transport
Chamunda Travels, R C Travels
52:56:12 - 52:59:12
assistance in research
Anupama Chatterjee, Dina Mehta
53:00:12 - 53:03:12
equipment
Setu films, Nand Kumar, Sync Sound,
Madhu Apsara
53:04:12 - 53:07:12
post production
Studio Agnee-taar, Fireflys Post Sound
53:08:12 - 53:11:12
technical assistance
Shan Mohammed
53:12:12 - 53:15:12
producer
Sehjo Singh
53:20:12 - 53:23:12
camera
Mohanan
53:24:12 - 53:27:12
sound recording and sound design
Madhu Apsara
53:28:12 - 53:31:12
editor
Lalitha Krishna
53:32:12 - 53:35:12
director
Sherna Dastur
53:38:12 - 53:41:12
This documentary has been realized with the support of the Jan Vrijman Fund
53:42:12 - 53:45:00