Born into Brothels (Born Into Brothels)

[ Chanting in foreign language ]

[ Singing in foreign language ]

Female voice: IT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE

TO PHOTOGRAPH IN THE RED LIGHT DISTRICT.

EVERYONE IS TERRIFIED OF THE CAMERA,

AND THEY'RE FRIGHTENED OF BEING FOUND OUT.

EVERYTHING IS ILLEGAL.

IT'S A WHOLE SEPARATE SOCIETY WITHIN ITSELF.

I MEAN, YOU JUST WALK DOWN THAT ONE LANE

AND IT'S ANOTHER WORLD.

I KNEW I COULDN'T DO IT AS A VISITOR.

I WANTED TO STAY WITH THEM,

LIVE WITH THEM AND UNDERSTAND THEIR LIVES.

AND OF COURSE, AS SOON AS I ENTERED THE BROTHELS,

I MET THE CHILDREN.

Narrator: THE BROTHELS ARE FILLED WITH CHILDREN,

THEY'RE EVERYWHERE.

AND THEY WERE SO CURIOUS.

THEY DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY THIS WOMAN HAD COME

AND WHAT I WAS DOING THERE.

Woman: GREAT.

Narrator: THEY WERE ALL OVER ME,

AND I WOULD PLAY WITH THEM AND TAKE THEIR PHOTOGRAPHS

AND THEY WOULD TAKE MINE.

THEY WANTED TO LEARN HOW TO USE THE CAMERA.

THAT'S WHEN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE REALLY GREAT TO TEACH THEM

AND TO SEE THIS WORLD THROUGH THEIR EYES.

Kochi:

Woman: WHEN YOU HOLD THE CAMERA,

TAKE YOUR TIME TO LOOK.

SO DON'T JUST GO... LIKE THIS.

IF IT'S NOT RIGHT HERE,

I'LL MOVE A LITTLE BIT

AND MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IN THE WHOLE SQUARE LOOKS GOOD,

AND THEN I'LL TAKE THE PICTURE.

SO JUST DO IT MORE SLOWLY.

SO I WANT HER TO LOOK.

Man:

Tapasi:

Woman:

Tapasi:

Narrator: PEOPLE ASK ME WHY AM I IN INDIA,

WHY DO I COME AND DO THIS WORK.

THERE'S NO RATIONAL, LOGICAL REASON WHY I DO THIS,

BUT I FEEL VERY CONNECTED TO THE WOMEN,

AND NOW, THEIR CHILDREN.

Woman: OKAY, DOES SHE LIKE THIS ONE?

SHE SHOULD BE ABLE TO SAY WHY SHE LIKES A PHOTO

OR WHY SHE DOESN'T LIKE IT.

SHE DOESN'T HAVE TO AGREE WITH ANYBODY.

Translator: [ In foreign language ]

Translator: IT'S JUST ONE HEAD STICKING OUT.

Woman: YOU KNOW WHAT?

SHE'S RIGHT, IT'S ONE HEAD STICKING OUT.

THAT'S WHY I LIKE IT

AND THAT'S WHY SHE DOESN'T LIKE IT.

Translator: [ In foreign language ]

Kochi:

[ Chatter in foreign language ]

Kochi:

Zana: THIS PICTURE'S FUNNY TO ME.

MAYBE IT'S JUST BECAUSE I'M A WESTERNER,

BUT THEY LOOK LIKE AN OLD MARRIED COUPLE HOLDING THEIR TWINS.

Zana: IT'S A FUNNY PHOTO

BECAUSE I KNOW THAT'S NOT TRUE.

Man:

Man:

[ Chatter in foreign language ]

Manik:

Shanti:

Kochi:

Zana: KOCHI IS VERY, VERY SHY AND DEMURE.

SO IF SOMEBODY IS GOING TO FORCE HER INTO PROSTITUTION,

SHE'S NOT GOING TO SAY "NO".

SHE'S NEVER SAID "NO" IN HER LIFE.

SO YOU CAN IMAGINE WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO HER VERY SOON.

THE CHILDREN ASK ME FOR HELP.

THEY ASK FOR IT ALL THE TIME.

AND IT'S HEARTBREAKING.

I MEAN, THERE'S SO LITTLE I CAN DO.

ALL I CAN DO IS TRY.

Grandmother:

Man:

[ Singing in foreign language ]

Gour:

Zana: YOU SHOT TWO ROLLS

OF FILM, WHICH WAS VERY GOOD.

BUT THE PICTURES ALL CAME OUT BLANK,

WHICH WAS NOT VERY GOOD.

YOU... BECAUSE YOU WENT OUT AT NIGHT, RIGHT?

YOU SHOULD KNOW BY NOW

THAT YOU CAN'T SHOOT AT NIGHT

WITHOUT A FLASH.

Zana: SHE'S REALLY GOOD

AT PHOTOGRAPHING ON THE STREET.

AND NO ONE'S REALLY DONE THAT IN HER NEIGHBOURHOOD,

Man: MM-HM. LIKE, OUTSIDE HER HOUSE.

Zana: AND SHE'S VERY BOLD.

TELL HER YOU KNOW HOW PEOPLE GET ANGRY ON THE STREET,

BUT SHE'S SO BOLD THAT SHE GETS AWAY WITH IT.

SHE'S ONE OF THE FEW PEOPLE IN THE CLASS.

Translator:

Translator: SHE SAYS

NO ONE GETS ANGRY AT HER.

YEAH, BECAUSE SHE'S VERY STRONG. SHOCKING.

Zana: THE GREAT-GRANDMOTHER'S A PROSTITUTE,

THE GRANDMOTHER'S A PROSTITUTE, THE MOTHER'S A PROSTITUTE,

BUT THEY HAVE BETTER SURROUNDINGS.

IT'S A BRAHMAN FAMILY, THEY'RE VERY SORT OF REGAL,

BECAUSE SHE EATS WELL, SHE'S DRESSED WELL,

SHE'S NOT OBVIOUSLY POOR,

BUT SHE'S HEADING FOR PROSTITUTION.

Puja:

Translator:

Translator: SHE NEVER LISTENS TO HER MOM.

Translator: SHE'S SAYING,

"NO, MY MOM IS LYING."

"GO AND ASK MY GRANDMOTHER."

Gour:

[ In foreign language ]

I KNOW, BUT JUST BECAUSE IT'S YOUR CAMERA

DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT'S YOUR PHOTO.

A COMPOSITION MEANS HOW YOU PUT SHAPES INTO THE BOX,

THE LINES OF A PICTURE.

THESE ARE ALL VERY, VERY GOOD COMPOSITIONS.

YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON AROUND.

THERE'S SO MUCH INFORMATION IN THIS PICTURE.

THERE'S LAYERS OF PEOPLE

IN THE FOREGROUND, MIDDLE, BACK.

AND IT'S JUST A BEAUTIFUL PHOTOGRAPH.

Zana: SUCHITRA.

Translator:

Gour:

Translator:

NO.

Zana: ONE OF THE GIRLS

WAS ALREADY MARRIED OFF AT AGE 11.

ANOTHER ONE WAS FORCED INTO PROSTITUTION, AGE 14.

THESE WERE MY STUDENTS.

THEY HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO OPPORTUNITY WITHOUT EDUCATION.

THE QUESTION IS, CAN I FIND A SCHOOL,

A GOOD SCHOOL THAT WILL TAKE KIDS THAT ARE...

CHILDREN OF PROSTITUTES?

Zana: I AM TOTALLY INDEPENDENT.

I'VE BEEN LIVING AND WORKING

IN THE RED LIGHT DISTRICT

IN NORTH CALCUTTA FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS.

WHICH STREET, RED LIGHT DISTRICT?

RAMAGANA SONOGACHI.

OH, YOU'VE BEEN LIVING FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS?

ON AND OFF, YEAH. SO I'VE BEEN TEACHING...

WELL, I'VE BEEN... BASICALLY, I'M A PHOTOGRAPHER

AND I'VE BEEN PHOTOGRAPHING THE LIVES OF THE WOMEN,

AND I GOT VERY CLOSE TO THE CHILDREN

AND I STARTED TEACHING THEM

PHOTOGRAPHY TWO YEARS AGO.

AND THERE'S ONE GROUP THAT I'M VERY CLOSE TO

AND NOW I'M TRYING TO GET THEM OUT OF THE BROTHELS,

TRYING TO FIND A SCHOOL...

GOOD SCHOOLS FOR THEM, BUT THE THING IS,

I'M REALLY LOOKING FOR A BOARDING SCHOOL

BECAUSE OTHERWISE THEY GO BACK TO THE RED LIGHT DISTRICT

AND THEN, I MEAN...

ONE OF THE GIRLS WAS ALREADY FORCED INTO PROSTITUTION.

THESE KIDS WANT TO BE OUT OF THERE.

ARE THERE ANY BOARDING SCHOOLS THAT WOULD TAKE THEM?

'CAUSE I FOUND THAT PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO DEAL

WITH CHILDREN OF SEX WORKERS.

NO PLACE IS THE RIGHT PLACE.

NOBODY WILL TAKE THEM, THAT'S THE PROBLEM.

WHO WILL TAKE THEM?

Gour:

Translator:

Avijit:

Woman:

Zana: I LOVE THIS.

BECAUSE IT'S A SELF-PORTRAIT,