A serving Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, Anwesh, made his directorial debut with Kathakar Ki Diary: The Story Of Ordinary Lives, which recently premiered at the ongoing 31st Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF).

The film follows five characters — a child, a cancer-stricken photographer, a musician, a transwoman, and an athlete — and explores themes of diversity, resilience and human connection.

Completed in two-and-a-half years, the film was made on a crowd-funded budget of under USD 15,000. More than 200 independent and tribal artists, including members of the Hill Kharia community, worked voluntarily on the project.

“This film belongs to every artist who believed in the story, not in money,” Anwesh told news agency PTI following the screening of the film under the Asian Select Netpac category on 8 November.

“Being in the IRS taught me about structure and empathy; filmmaking taught me how to listen. Both, in their own ways, are about serving people,” he added.

The film is edited by National Award-winning editor Aseem Sinha.

The filmmaker, Anwesh, currently serves as a Joint Commissioner in the GST department in Pune.

Anwesh said that Bollywood actor Shatrughan Sinha described Kathakar Ki Diary: The Story Of Ordinary Lives as “deeply human and emotionally rich” after a private viewing.