AUTO MERI JAAN (AUTO, MY LOVE!): A FILM ON THREE WHEELS [52 mins]

Written, Directed, Shot and Cut by Soumyadeep Paul
Co-editor: Laura Taflinger
Producer & Co-director: Poorva Joshipura

January 15th, 2005, Mumbai, India – the residents of Hiranandani Complex witnessed a race unlike any other – the formula one for Rickshaws. Organized for the Mumbai festival, the race, first of its kind around the world, attracted hundreds of rickshaw drivers who wanted a shot at the prize money, and the fame. “I want to participate because it is fun and my chance to move ahead in life, and be known” says one competitor. “They think they are the Michael Schumachers of the roads… with their goddam Ferraris” claims an angry local.

Adorned with posters of local filmstars, blasting loud Punjabi music through their stereophonic speakers, and steering, honking their way through the potholes and traffic jams, from Albert Tolman, the American blacksmith who designed the first rickshaw, to crowded rickshaws of Mumbai, this documentary tries to dive into the crazy world of auto-rickshaws and their drivers, and bring out their joys and frustrations, their music and their daily struggle for bread, and their fights against a largely chaotic system.