Dekha Kya?” Honored with Best Documentary Short and Best Director Awards at World Film Festival at Cannes 2025

Mumbai, 22 September 2025 : Dekha Kya?, produced by Rayu Films and Aditya Bhasin, Dekha Kya? is a docudrama narrated by Banno on his radio show Bolta Andhera. It highlights kids in Firozabad losing eyesight making bangles, and contrasts this with underprivileged urban children facing blindness due to lack of awareness. The film has earned prestigious recognition at the World Film Festival at Cannes 2025, winning both Best Documentary Short and Best Director – Documentary Short, underscoring its impactful storytelling and social importance. 

Created through a partnership between filmmaker Aditya Bhasin and the NGO Drishti, founded by Sanjana Chauhan, Dekha Kya? shines a spotlight on a critical but often overlooked issue through an empathetic cinematic lens.

Aditya Bhasin, Director, Writer, and Producer of Dekha Kya?, said, “When I first heard from Sanjana that children in Firozabad were losing their eyesight because of making glass bangles, I couldn’t shake it off. It felt like one of those stories that had to be told because silence would have been unfair. I just wanted to capture what I felt, and deeply wanted the film to make someone pause and think, my work is done. These awards at Cannes mean a lot, but more than anything, they belong to the children whose voices echo through the film.”

Sanjana Chauhan, Founder of Drishti, added,” For me, Drishti was never just about starting an NGO… it was about actually doing something to change what is happening around us. Children my age in Firozabad are losing their eyesight because they are stuck making bangles, and have no way out. It is a difficult cycle to come out from. When Aditya came to meet me once, I told him about this camp I was about to do in Firozabad. I told him how children lose their eyesight because of the working conditions they face while making glass bangles… and that’s when he got so involved in the whole process and decided to make this film. I am so thankful to him as now someone has shown the world what we have been trying to create awareness about.”

This recognition of Dekha Kya? at the World Film Festival at Cannes reinforces the power of storytelling as a catalyst for awareness and change. It exemplifies how creative collaboration between filmmakers and social organizations can illuminate urgent issues and inspire audiences worldwide to remember, reflect, and act.