The Journey Behind the Film
Read the journey of A Life Inside Me — a three-year struggle of resilience, friendship, and persistence that became as moving as the film itself.
Mahi Kumar
Aug 242 min read
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Mahi Kumar Films
A Life Inside me
A Film By Jackie R. Bala
The Story on Screen
A Life Inside Me is the debut feature of Jackie R. Bala. The story follows a terminally ill father who wishes to live his final days as his true self — a woman — and his daughter, trapped in an abusive marriage.
Produced by Ajitesh Gupta and Mahi Kumar, the film explores the lives of two women — one long denied, one confined. Both silenced. Both surviving.
A Life Inside Me began with $10,000 and a planned budget under $25,000, but lost external support after being labeled “LGBTQ+.” What started as a short shoot became a three-year, $90,000 self-financed journey. Despite no institutional backing, its raw honesty — and the way festivals embraced the story as their own, even in its first cut — has earned unwavering recognition and struck a powerful chord with audiences worldwide.
The Story Behind the Film
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Unscripted: Stories Behind the Film
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