A Roof Of One's Own
A roof of one's own is a personal, hybrid documentary about the slow disappearance of Barsatis — rooftop homes that once dotted Delhi’s skyline, offering shelter to students, artists, migrants, and working-class families.
What began as a historical exploration of these spaces turned into something more intimate: a meditation on home, loss, and belonging. I moved to Delhi two years ago from rural Madhya Pradesh and ended up living in a Barsati myself.
Over time, I realized that I wasn’t just documenting a vanishing form of housing; I was also processing my own complicated relationship with home, shaped by grief and migration. The film blends observational footage, voiceover, and self-aware commentary to reflect on who gets to belong in a city that’s always reinventing itself, and what gets erased in the name of progress. It’s also an attempt to reimagine what the nonfiction medium can look like: honest, sharp, and fun.
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