The Last Color
India | Feature | 1 h 30 min | Drama | Hindi with English subtitles
4/26/2019 | 6:30-8:30 pm
Filmmaker & Celebrity Chef Vikas Khanna in Attendance
SYNOPSIS
Nine-year-old fearless tightrope walker and flower seller, Chhoti, savors her dream to save Rs. 300 ($ 4), so she can attend school. The Last Color traces Chhoti and her best friend Chintu’s daily struggles for survival on the streets of the ancient city of Banaras, India. Chhoti befriends Noor, a white-clad widow who suffers a life of total abstinence and is disallowed from taking part in any festivities, especially Holi, the Indian festival of colors.
Over time, Choti and Noor's friendship and uplifting spiritual bond breaks through the barriers of the caste system. Noor encourages the brave little girl to face life by "flying high" with courage, education, and dignity. She shares her fondest, but closely kept childhood memories of playing with colors. Chhoti promises Noor that, this Holi, she will finally splash Noor with her favorite pink color. But on Holi's eve, Noor passes away, and during a sweep, Chhoti is imprisoned by the corrupt police, led by the violent and bullying Raja. Will Chhoti be able to keep her promise?
Twenty-four years later, Chhoti becomes an advocate and fights for the societal reforms that will bring about the rehabilitation of both street children and widows.
The Last Color is a story of promises kept and promises broken, a friendship that knows no bounds, and the freedom and victory of the human spirit.
TRAILER
DIRECTOR'S PROFILE
VIKAS KHANNA
International award-winning chef and TV personality Vikas Khanna not only owns a Michelin star restaurant in New York, but he’s also a known author, philanthropist, and now filmmaker. In this life-affirming movie, he tells the story of Noor, who is dying to participate in Holi, a joyous festival of color denied to widows in India in a 400-year-old tradition. For centuries, Indian widows have been relegated to obscurity: socially dead, ostracized, and cast away by their families, banned from ceremonies because their presence is considered unlucky. They are relegated to praying, wearing white saris and—regardless of their age—spending the rest of their lives in ashrams. In The Last Color, a sassy, street-smart child befriends Noor, a widow from a local ashram. When Noor shares wistful memories of the days when she played Holi, flinging handfuls of pink powder, the young girl promises that next year they will play Holi together.
STILLS
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
