''Ek Cup Chya'' () is a

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India **Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...

film based on the Right to Information (RTI) Act. The film was the second project of activist producer Yeshwant Oak. Previously he had collaborated with the same directors Sumitra Bhave and Sunil Sukhtankar to produce Devrai in 2004 (an equally acclaimed film to create awareness about

schizophrenia Schizophrenia () is a mental disorder characterized variously by hallucinations (typically, Auditory hallucination#Schizophrenia, hearing voices), delusions, thought disorder, disorganized thinking and behavior, and Reduced affect display, f ...

Synopsis

Kashinath Sawant is a bus conductor with the state transport corporation in

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

. He lives in Kankavali in the coastal region (Konkan) of Maharashtra with his mother, his wife Rukmini and their two daughters: Vasanti who is a nurse and Vanadevi, a student. The couple also have two sons, college student Chandan and Abeer, who is in 10th grade preparing to take the state level secondary board exam. The Sawant family receives a huge electricity of Bill of Rs.73,000, leaving them trapped and humiliated by the system. During Kashinath's visits to the electricity board he learns that he must pay a bribe to fix his problem. The film uses a cup of tea, normally a symbol of hospitality, as a metaphor for a bribe. He is introduced to Dr. Durga Khanolkar, a social activist who is creating awareness about the RTI Act. With the help of the activist and his friend Sayyed, he files an RTI application. Initially he is ridiculed, but when he files an appeal with the Information Commissioner, things become a little more serious. An engineer from the electricity board asks his higher-ups to stop Kashinath from appearing at a hearing in

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

. After overcoming many hurdles, Kashinath is able to reach Mumbai, but is too late. He loses all hope and returns to work, but to his astonishment electricity is restored to his home and Abheer secures second place in the state level examination, despite his studying by oil lamp.

Recognition

The film started getting recognition after only a few screenings. Even the producer in an interview with

Mumbai Mirror The ''Mumbai Mirror'' is an Indian English-language newspaper published in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Launched in 2005 as a compact daily newspaper, its coverage focused on city specific local news and civic issues concerning education, healthcare an ...

conceded that "Our experience of screening the film for the general public at a Pune theatre was quite disappointing.” The film was screened or is expected to travel at *

Mumbai International Film Festival The Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films (MIFF) is a festival organized in the city of Mumbai (formerly Bombay) by the Films Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of Infor ...

* Goa Film Festival *

Copenhagen International Film Festival Copenhagen International Film Festival (CIFF) was a film festival held annually in Copenhagen, Denmark, from 2003 to 2008. The main prize, the Golden Swan, was awarded for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Script and Best C ...

London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival held in London, England, in collaboration with the British Film Institute. Founded in 1957, the festival runs for two weeks every October. In 2016, the British Film Institute, BFI estim ...

Miami International Film Festival The Miami Film Festival, formerly Miami International Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Miami, Florida, each March. Since 2015 the festival also runs a smaller Fall Festival, known as the Miami Film Festival GEMS, which presents ...

References

{{Sumitra Bhave–Sunil Sukthankar 2009 films Films directed by Sumitra Bhave–Sunil Sukthankar 2000s Marathi-language films