A new short film showcases Pratiksha Das' journey of becoming the first woman to complete the BEST buses training programme.
A still from BEST One. Pic/Youtube
When Sharada Das started experiencing labour pains in the middle of the night, her family began looking for ways to reach her to the hospital. No arrangements for a vehicle could be made. So, her father decided to take her on his Royal Enfield Bullet. When her daughter Pratiksha was conceived, the inclination towards that Bullet came naturally and as a child, she insisted that she sit on the tank. Her love for motorcycles lead her to pursue a diploma in automobile engineering. But that wasn't enough. After she learnt to drive the four-wheeler, she set her eyes on heavy vehicles. Last year, she became the first woman to clear the 30-day BEST (Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport) bus training programme, and at 24, obtained a heavy vehicle license by the Regional Transport Office (RTO). This week, a 15-minute documentary titled BEST ONE was made on her journey by city-based Final Draft Productions.
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Krunal Acharya, responsible for the concept and direction of the film, had known of Das in college. As a maker of short films, he was looking to direct a documentary when he stumbled upon Das' accomplishments in the news. The two happened to be friends on Facebook, and Acharya pitched the idea to her. "I was nervous because she had already received extensive coverage and didn't know if she'd respond. But she was excited to hear about the project. We [the film-making unit] met her in August 2019 and completed the film on May 10. I wanted to be very clear about the fact that she is not currently a bus driver as articles on the web are claiming," he says.
Das, who is preparing to become an RTO officer, adds that for her, the journey has solely been about chasing a passion, which is predominately male-driven. "I wanted to start with driving trucks but when I called up the truck training centres in Mumbai via numbers I found on Justdial, they would laugh as soon as they heard my voice and reject me. They would say things like, 'Kyun karna hai, madam? Sab ko maarna hai, kya?" she recalls. BEST, on the other hand, was very accommodating and encouraging of her endeavour. When she first sat in a BEST bus, she was anxious but continued training because of her mother's support. "My mother has never said no to me for anything. She said that if I can learn a bike in two days, then the bus would take longer but I could learn that, too. I can learn things quickly but because the vehicle is long, judgement takes time," she shares.
Krunal Acharya
As a storyteller, Acharya wanted to particularly bring out the simplicity of Das and her family; he didn't wish to glorify their struggles or achievements. He adds, "Pratiksha is not pompous or arrogant. Her mother isn't that in-your-face proud mother either. The point of this narrative is to keep working towards your goal and one day you will achieve it." As for the response for the film? Acharya points out a special fact — the majority of comments on YouTube are from men. "That's a win for us. We didn't set out to make a film for only women to see."
Log on to BEST One by Final Draft Productions on YouTube
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