At Sunny Side 2025, director Vaibhav Jadhav and producer Lisa D’Costa (Paper Planes Pictures) pitched their lyrical, highly cinematic Taalim, which follows the (mis)fortunes of 18-year-old Abhilesh whose uncle wants him to succeed in the wrestling academy so as to further his political career.
Instead, the boy struggles with self-doubt, unable to meet the excessive demands placed upon him. As he navigates the physical and emotional intensity of the sport, unexpected feelings begin to surface, quietly unsettling his sense of self.
“I’m here to share a personal story from India that aims to redefine what it means to be a man,” director Jadhav told the professional audience in La Rochelle. “Growing up, I was often ridiculed for not being a man. A few years later, when I visited a traditional Indian wrestling academy, called a taalim, I was surprised to find that even some of the strongest wrestlers had to go through the same.”
“Inside the taalim, strict routine, a dedicated diet, devotion and celibacy came together to form a belief system that claimed to make men out of boys. However, one only needs to see it from the eyes of the [outsider] for the fault lines to appear. A character-driven documentary is set in one such taalim.”
The set-up is harsh, and Abhilesh suffers during the process. What’s more, a correctional cane is wielded liberally by trainer and guru Govind Pawar.
“Abhilesh is on the cusp of a big realisation that he is not meant for this cut-throat competition,” Jadhav continued. “He will soon have to choose between wrestling and joining his uncle…Will his endearing nature help him find his own sense of masculinity? In today’s world, when wars are being waged by hyper-masculine men, our film quietly explores how masculinity isn’t about following rigid ideas of social expectations but can be found in vulnerability, empathy and the courage to express yourself beyond your assigned roles.”
Shooting on the film will commence in earnest in November 2025 with an expected date of completion of May 2027. At Sunny Side, producer Lisa D’Costa is looking for co-production partners, sales, funding and financing to complete the €300,000+ budget.
“I’ve always had to move through the world in a very masculine way, especially to survive in this industry,” D’Costa said. “So ‘masculinity’ is a word that is wrapped in a lot of conflict for me. Then I met Vaibhav. He was this quiet, shy lad, not taking up any space, but yet he stood out for me. Vaibhav was the one who changed my mind.”
“One of the most powerful critiques of masculinity didn’t come from confrontation but from care,” she added. “Taalim is a character-driven, coming-of-age story set in a deeply traditional Indian wrestling academy, and what makes it unique is not the world itself but how we’re choosing to look at it. The result is both raw and poetic. The film stays intimate, never sensational. And that is precisely its power. Audiences lean in rather than look away. We’re inside the machinery that teaches boys to become men. And that’s when we see it’s not just training.”
The film is a study of emotions set within a uniquely Indian setting of demanding families, power dynamics and religious rituals, she suggests.
“But the questions we’re asking are deeply universal. What does it mean to be a man? Who gets to decide that, and at what cost? Taalim speaks to global themes of masculinity, caste, and identity. It’s a true festival film with strong crossover potential for broadcasters and platforms investing in global south-story.”
“Taalim won’t shout, but it will stay with audiences,” D’Costa signed off.
