Movie "The Shameless" tells the story of prostitution and forbidden love
"The Shameless" is set in India and is about two prostitutes who fall in love with each other. The film breaks two taboos in Indian society. Director Konstantin Bojanov explains why he chose to tell this particular story.
10.04.2025, 07:00
SDA
Indian prostitute Renuka (Anasuya Sengupta) has killed a policeman. As a result, she has to flee the brothel in Delhi. She finds refuge in a community of sex workers in northern India. There she meets Devika (Omara Shetty), a young girl who is condemned to a life of prostitution under the Devadasi system. The two women fall in love with each other.
"Marriage" and prostitution
The Devadasi system followed a now-banned Hindu tradition in which women are "married" to a deity - and have to prostitute themselves in front of this background. "If there is one positive aspect of the Devadasi practice, it is the fact that it is completely in the hands of the women," said Bulgarian director Konstantin Bojanov in an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency.
Devika's mother does not want her daughter to have relations with Renuka because she is a prostitute. Yet she has planned the same fate for her two daughters. Devika's younger sister was sent to a brothel in Delhi.
"Although Renuka, Devika and their younger sister do the same work, those prostitutes who have dedicated themselves to the cult of the goddess Yellamma are considered auspicious and therefore superior to those who have not," said Bojanov.
Vulnerable members of society
He did not want to make "an overtly political film". But all elements of the film are strongly political. "I would be very happy if 'The Shameless' would stimulate a discourse about the conditions of women and sex workers. They are extremely vulnerable members of society, abused and trafficked," said Bojanov.
In India, it is not only prostitution that is taboo, but also homosexuality, "which is equated with madness", said Bojanov. "I wanted to explore this dynamic using the example of an outsider like Renuka." The encounter between the two protagonists is full of tenderness, and this is precisely what he wanted to point out as a director.
"In my stories, I try to focus on the universal aspects of relationships and confront the characters with difficult moral dilemmas." Over the course of the film, Renuka undergoes a profound development that ultimately leads her to confide her love for Devika to her childhood friend.
From documentary to feature film
This film is the result of a "very long process", says Bojanov. It began in 2012, when the director had planned a documentary film based on the book "Nine Lives" by British historian William Dalrymple. As the subtitle says, the book brings together nine stories from the perspective of the search for the sacred in modern India.
The filmmaker spent several months researching these stories. He focused primarily on questions such as "the characters' relationship to art, caste and sexuality". In the course of this work, Bojanov had observed "a very touching relationship" between two prostitutes. This gave rise to the idea for the fictional feature film "The Shameless". The film mixes several genres, "from noir to thriller", according to the director.
"The Shameless" is a co-production between five countries: Switzerland, France, Bulgaria, Taiwan and India. The film was shot in Nepal - under very difficult conditions, as Bojanov said. He worked with cameraman Gabriel Lobos, who was born in Basel and now lives in Zurich.
The Shameless" celebrated its world premiere at the last Cannes Film Festival. Actress Anasuya Sengupta was awarded best actress in the Un certain regard competition. Cinematographer Lobos was nominated for a Swiss Film Award 2025 and the film was also nominated for the European Film Award. It is now being released in cinemas in German-speaking Switzerland.
