BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE
Atlanta, GA, September 11, 2025: The feature documentary The Caste Rush, offering an immersive exploration of India’s complex social landscape, premiered in Atlanta on Sep 5, 2025 at Aurora Cineplex in Roswell, Georgia. Directed by Nikhil Singh Rajput and produced by Indic Dialogue, the 60-minute film presents itself as an exploration of misconceptions about caste and Hindu temple practices, using on-the-ground documentation across India.
The documentary arrives at a time when caste has become a contentious issue in the United States. Recent years have seen a series of high-profile developments, including the Cisco discrimination case, California’s SB-403 legislation, and policy decisions in several U.S. cities that have spotlighted caste as a social category.
Community leaders caution that the growing trend amounts to a weaponization of caste in the West, a narrative they say risks misrepresenting Hindu traditions and could carry long-term consequences for future generations.
Caste Rush positions itself as a corrective to these narratives. Through fieldwork across India’s four regions—Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Odisha—the film addresses questions such as whether Dalits are barred from temples and whether only Brahmins may serve as priests. Rajput emphasized that both assumptions are outdated. “These are simply not true anymore,” he said, pointing out that nearly half of temple priests in India today are from non-Brahmin communities.
The film uses extensive on-site interviews and aerial footage to present a visual and scholarly journey. Rajput described the process as both demanding and rewarding. “Temples are often reluctant to allow filming. We had to wait for festivals and build trust with priests. But that effort is what makes the film worth watching—it’s both devotion and documentation,” he said.
The use of drone technology enabled the team to present sweeping views of temple complexes and cultural events, adding a cinematic layer to the research-driven narrative.
The project is positioned not only as a documentary but also as part of a broader movement. Caste Rush seeks to transform how the world understands caste, inspire empathy through diverse lived experiences, and reveal ground realities rarely heard or seen.
The documentary is supported by more than 30 U.S.
Following the Atlanta premiere, the audience participated in an exclusive Q&A session with Rajput. Viewers raised questions about caste representation in American school textbooks, the role of media in shaping public opinion, and the need for communities to invest in authentic storytelling. Rajput stressed that the purpose of the documentary was not only to inform but also to document traditions with accuracy and sincerity. “We mixed work and devotion,” he said. “And what we found is that truth, when shown with honesty and beauty, can speak to everyone.”
Indic Dialogue, the organization behind the film, has described its mission as providing “an avenue to explore ideas, issues, insights and facilitate an open dialogue addressing contemporary challenges.” The group engages individuals from varied backgrounds to promote conversations in an environment of mutual respect.
While Caste Rush is the latest release, Indic Dialogue has previously produced documentaries on a range of cultural and historical subjects. These include Stateless – The Film, which depicts the plight of Pakistani Hindus fleeing religious persecution in Sindh and seeking refuge in Jodhpur; Kathak Aadi-Kathak, a feature-length work tracing the roots of Kathak to ancient Hindu art and challenging misconceptions about the dance form; and 1893: The Year of the Yogi, a historical documentary on Swami Vivekananda’s introduction of yoga and Indian spirituality to America, described by director Nicholas Oscoff as the beginning of a global spiritual movement.
The Atlanta premiere marked one stop in a wider North American tour of Caste Rush. Screenings are scheduled in several cities across the United States and Canada, with each event including opportunities for audience engagement and dialogue.
