Rasika Dugal and Naseeruddin Shah’s short film The Miniaturist Of Junagadh has premiered on the YouTube channel of Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films after travelling across multiple international film festivals.
The film is now publicly accessible to viewers following its festival circuit screenings and nominations.
Set in 1947, The Miniaturist Of Junagadh follows the unravelling of a secret about a beautiful miniature collection that a family is determined to keep. Directed by Kaushal Oza, the film adapts The Invisible Collection by Stefan Zweig to the setting of India during the aftermath of Partition.
The Rasika and Naseeruddin starrer was nominated as Best Short Film at the New York Indian Film Festival. It was screened at the Cincinnati Indian Film Festival and officially selected for the International Film Festival of South Asia Toronto and Indian Film Festival Stuttgart.
Released by Large Short Films on YouTube, the short marks a professional collaboration between Rasika Dugal and Naseeruddin Shah, who had been her teacher at the Film and Television Institute of India. Rasika described the project as “a special film” because it allowed her to act alongside Shah.
“I am moved by how gently and beautifully Kaushal has chosen to tell this story. The film is embellished with so many details which never attract attention to themselves and might even seem inconsequential but contribute so much to the experience of a viewer and in creating a world for the actors to thrive in,” Rasika said.
She added, “This is a special film for me as it gave me the opportunity to act alongside Naseer Saab, who was my teacher at FTII. So, I got to be a student again ! ?. I am delighted that after being screened at many festivals, the film will now reach a wider audience.”
Partition Setting and Adaptation
In the film, Shah portrays Husyn, an old, visually-impaired artist. Husyn is compelled to sell off his ancestral home and migrate unwillingly to Karachi in the aftermath of Partition. The house’s new owner, Kishorilal, initially attempts to rush the family out but alters his approach upon suspecting that Husyn possesses valuable artworks.
A key moment unfolds when Noor, Husyn’s daughter played by Rasika Dugal, confides in Kishorilal that they have been secretly selling her father’s miniatures to survive through the riots. The narrative builds toward a resolution that underscores the human dimensions of displacement.
Naseeruddin Shah said of the adaptation, “I thought it’s a wonderful adaptation. Though the story was likely written before, it has an eerie parallel with the German occupation of France and Italy when they tried to steal all the great artworks.”
The film was shot in director Kaushal Oza’s own ancestral home in Mumbai, which has since been pulled down. The setting contributes to the period authenticity of the 1947 backdrop.
Shah was born in 1949-1950 in Barabanki near Lucknow. In his book, And Then One Day, he recounts how his father, a government servant, opted to stay back in India while uncles and relatives migrated across the border, leaving behind homes and livelihoods.
“The leaving part is what I’ve always felt strongly about,” Shah said. “It’s difficult to imagine what people from either side had to go through. It’s beyond horror.”
Rasika Dugal also has personal family history tied to displacement. Her family moved from Burma to Rawalpindi during World War II and returned after 1946. She has spoken about growing up hearing stories of departure and loss.
“My mother was 16 when she had left Burma. Much later I found a photograph of her with a friend. She told me the friend lived across the lake, and she couldn’t say goodbye to her when she left,” Rasika said.
Beyond The Miniaturist Of Junagadh, Shah has continued working in short films. At 71, he has appeared as a gentle, Cantonese-speaking Sardar in Mumbai Dragon, Vishal Bhardwaj’s segment in Modern Love Mumbai, and in The Miniaturist Of Junagadh.
Rasika Dugal’s upcoming projects include Adhura, Spike, Delhi Crime Season 2 and Lord Curzon Ki Haveli.
The Miniaturist Of Junagadh adds to a body of Partition-era cinema that explores displacement and memory. Through its festival journey and digital release, the film extends its reach to wider audiences while maintaining its focus on a family’s effort to preserve a miniature collection amid upheaval.
Rasika Dugal and Naseeruddin Shah headline the adaptation directed by Kaushal Oza, which now streams publicly after international festival recognition.