Producer Ashvini Yardi, known for her impactful television show “Balika Vadhu,” joined forces with Oscar-winning filmmaker Guneet Monga and She Leads Impact Fund to create a documentary “Kicking Balls” to tackle child marriage in India. The documentary explores the innovative work of an NGO in Rajasthan that uses football to empower girls and fight child marriage.
This collaboration between Ashvini Yardi of Viniyard Films, Guneet Monga of Sikhya Entertainment and Ajaita Shah of She Leads Impact Fund, is backed by a $25,000 grant to support initiatives that empower women and girls affected by child marriage.
Ashvini, who has dedicated over 30 years to impactful storytelling, highlights the importance of films in sparking social change. She points to her earlier work, “Balika Vadhu,” which revolutionized Indian television by openly discussing child marriage, and said “In 2008, I brought India’s first comprehensive show on ‘Child Marriage’, titled ‘Balika Vadhu’, which revolutionised Indian television and sparked dialogue around the reforms needed to suppress this age-old practice. During my 31 years in the TV and film industry, I’ve realised the impact we leave and the stories we tell shape society. Working with Guneet on a topic so close to my heart in this documentary allowed us to validate that films can become more and stand for more.”
“Kicking Balls” isn’t just a film; it’s a call to action. The project aims to not only raise awareness but also ignite conversations that lead to policy changes to end child marriage by 2030.
Speaking on this, filmmaker Guneet said, “Each year, 12 million girls are married before the age of 18. That’s 23 girls every minute. ‘Kicking Balls’ became a project that we knew could not just be a film; it had to be a conversation. After screening it in several schools across India, I was always asked what more I could do to help these young girls. We’re storytellers, meant to reflect what we see at the grassroots — our effort is to tell stories that ignite conversations and spark change in the policies of the country.”
Director Vijayeta Kumar describes the film as a testament to the bravery of young girls fighting for their education and freedom from child marriage, poverty, and caste oppression. “ ‘Kicking Balls’ is the story of brave young girls from rural Rajasthan, tackling their way out of forced child marriages, poverty, and caste oppression by playing football and fighting for their right to study.”
“Having spent over a decade working to uplift rural women through Frontier Markets, I have witnessed firsthand the pressing issues these women face, with child marriage being one of the most pervasive and heartbreaking. ” ‘Kicking Balls’ is a powerful catalyst for this change, shining a light on the resilience and strength of young girls forced into early marriages.”, said Ajaita Shah, the founding partner of the She Leads Impact Fund.
