Nanda Master'nka Chatasali

Nanda Master'nka Chatasali (2025)

ନନ୍ଦ ମାଷ୍ଟରଙ୍କ ଚାଟଶାଳୀ

A Documentary On Centenarian Padma Shri Nanda Prusty

A coming-of-age journey of an inherent minimalist, who struggles to preserve one of India's last traditional open-air schools called Chatasali. This documentary delves into the life of a mystic teacher, centenarian Nanda Prusty, an ordinary Indian villager who gave free education to the poor for more than 70 years. Transforming from an actor to a teacher, Prusty's narrative extends across three generations, marked by his unwavering commitment to selflessly serve his village on a profound spiritual path. Just before his unexpected death, at the age of 103, he eventually came to limelight after receiving Padma Shri, India's prominent civilian award.

Date of release
2025-12-12
Runtime
1h 30m
Genres
Documentary
Director
Pranab K Aich

Casting

Interesting facts

Nanda Master’nka Chatasali is a hybrid documentary film directed by Pranab Kumar Aich. It is produced by Abhaya Pati under the banner of Abhismita films. The film narrates the journey of Indian centenarian free educationist Nanda Prusty's unwavering commitment and selflessness towards the people of his village. The film premiered at the 29th Kolkata International Film Festival on 7 December 2023, where it competed in the Asian Select category. The film was theatrically released in India on 12th December 2025. Official trailer and poster of the film was launched at Bharat Pavilion at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, 2024.

Production

This hybrid documentary follows centenarian Nanda Prusty who ran a roofless school (called Chatasali) for over 70 years in Kantira village in Jajpur, Odisha. Pranab Kumar Aich when offered the chance to make the biography said, “When Nanda Sir’s story came to me, who was I on the earth to reject it. I instantly agreed to do it.”

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

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