“COMPELLING”
Debanjan Jhar, Outlook India

“A TENDER AND OBSERVANT LENS…”
Prabhjot Bains, Range

LOGLINEIn a small city in the north of India, unhappy couples seek relief from their marital troubles in the most unlikely of places...the local police station.

SYNOPSISWithin the bustling corridors of a Dehradun police station, a remarkable form of justice unfolds as Officer Sandhya and her all-woman team mediate troubled marriages in northern India. This intimate observational documentary follows three couples whose stories range from everyday domestic conflicts to harrowing cases of violence and neglect, offering a window onto the evolving landscape of gender relations in contemporary Indian society. The film captures the raw emotional intensity of these confrontations as well as the warmth and camaraderie among the officers during lunch breaks and quiet moments between cases. As the women navigate their dual roles as enforcers and counsellors, we witness a unique institution that serves as a critical lifeline for women who have few other avenues for support. Through its balanced portrayal of moments both heartbreaking and humorous, Marriage Cops illuminates a powerful intersection where traditional marriage values collide with emerging concepts of women’s rights. -Hot Docs 2025

Runtime: 79 minutes

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Co-director/Editor

Shashwati Talukdar

Shashwati Talukdar was born and raised in India. She started her professional life in New York where she worked as an editor on projects for HBO, BBC, Lifetime, and the Sundance Channel. Her first feature doc PLEASE DON’T BEAT ME, SIR! premiered at the Busan International Film Festival. Her short work has screened at the Whitney Biennial, Kiasma Museum of Art in Helsinki and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia. She is currently working as an independent producer between Taiwan and India.

Co-director/DoP

Cheryl Hess

Cheryl Hess a Philadelphia-based filmmaker and cinematographer who specializes in observational storytelling. Her most recent short, DASH, AGE 92, SNOWBOARDER premiered at Aspen Shortsfest. Her film PAST/PRESENCE: SAVING THE SPRING GARDEN SCHOOL was selected the grand-prize winner in the AIA Film Challenge in 2018 out of hundreds of entries. Cheryl recently started her own YouTube channel called “Analog Girl” where she talks about movie cameras and other film-related topics.