PRIVACY is a social thriller set in and out of Mumbai slums. It follows the story of Roopali, who works at the Mumbai surveillance command and control center as an operator. While being ambitious, she constantly fights her own guilt and resists her dark past. Things start to get complicated when Roopali ignores protocol and begins to investigate a robbery/murder that takes place on her watch.

“No system of mass surveillance has existed in any society that we know of to this point that has not been abused.” Privacy begins with this warning from Edward Snowden. In Mumbai’s nightlife, police officer Roopali, who rushes breathlessly upon witnessing a burglar breaking into a shuttered shop, is responsible for immediately reporting any crime scenes captured by surveillance cameras. Despite her meticulous CCTV monitoring and ability to identify suspects, the investigation is handed over to another department or person, as per police protocol, and she is not allowed to proceed with the task of finding the culprit. Sudeep Kanwal, a director originally from India who studied film in New York and received awards at various film festivals for his short films, entrusts his debut feature film to Roopali’s perspective, which progressively becomes more personal and daring, navigating between the conflicting priorities of personal privacy and public welfare. From the impoverished back alleys of Mumbai to the upscale apartments, the desire to touch what is seen deviates repeatedly from the clichés of the crime thriller genre and defies expectations regarding the female protagonist character. (Angela LEE)