In Person: Shahrukhkhan Chavada and Wafa Refai on Kayo Kayo Colour?

Set in the neighbourhood of Kalupur, Ahmedabad, Kayo Kayo Colour? (Which Colour?, 2023) presents a playful observation of a day in the life of a Muslim family. Illuminating everyday events that unfold against a larger political churning in India, Kayo Kayo Colour? is strengthened by its cast of characters. These have been enacted by residents of Kalupur themselves, who play out versions of their own mundane conversations, interpersonal conflicts, small joys and ways of life. The debut feature of Shahrukhkhan Chavada, which has been produced by Wafa Refai for La Pataa Films, Kayo Kayo Colour? was screened as a part of the 12th Dharamshala International Film Festival in November.

In this edited conversation, Chavada and Refai recount their initial research, conceiving the film, the role of a “playful” realist visual language in their work, and the process of crafting a community from the film. 

Shahrukhkhan Chavada spent his formative years in the rural environs of Palanpur, Gujarat. He pursued his skills in media, animation and filmmaking in Pune, where his love affair with watching the world through the lens truly began. However, it took a drastic turn when he was exposed to Italian, Iranian and French New Wave cinema, which influenced his perspectives on other aspects of life. Wafa Refai is a filmmaker and founder of La Pataa Films. Along with Chavada, she co-produced and edited Which Colour? 

(Featured image: Still from Kayo Kayo Colour? [2023] by Shahrukhkhan Chavada. Image courtesy of the director and the Dharamshala International Film Festival.)

Recorded on 7 November 2023.

To watch more In Person coverage from DIFF, watch Nishtha Jain’s discussion of her film The Golden Thread (2022) and Clara Kraft Isono’s discussion of her film Bawa's Garden (2022).

To read more about Kayo Kayo Colour? (Which Colour?, 2023), read Ankan Kazi’s essay on the film.