Rape is just a four-letter word but the impact it gives on a person is nothing less than a trauma till death. It breaks one down to mental and physical devastation. All these falls onto a female, not on the offender. Everything comes to a standstill for the victims forcing them to end their lives to let their families free from any isolation and embarrassment. Tears will be their companions. It would become much hard for them to talk to people because they have to hide their past and opening up is suicidal. They don’t want to meet their acquaintances who know about them. The story well buried within their memories may resurrect on a usual sunny Sunday morning. They are haunted. Haunted by the random memories of humiliation by the culprit, neighborhood, friends, or family. For long women have been under the restrictions of society. The revolution has already begun.

Here comes a short film to talk about the in-depth emotions of a rape victim. Bindi, a hindi short film, brings to the viewer an enlightening perspective of change. It wants to be a flagbearer of ‘change’ which is essential for a progressive society. The acting and the story emphasize that rape was not their choice. It happened in the most unfortunate moment of their lives. It is better to protect their confidence, give them space to heal, and a hand to return to normal lives. Written and directed by Nikhil Sankar, starring Devaki Rajendran under Dhanush Productions shakes any patriarchal mindsets with its storyline and dialogues. With Vijay Syam’s music, Najose’s cinematography, and editing, this 8.18 minute short film is a hit on the face of society’s disheartening attitudes. Winning awards in many intercollegiate techno-cultural fests like Cult a Way(2019), Aagneya (2019), Equinox (2019), Yagnadruva (2019), Ragam (2019), Sanskriti (2019), Bindi has joined the movement for an ever-wanted social change. Bindi has grabbed one of the top eight positions in the Abraham Short Film Festival (JAISFF). Besides these standouts, streaming on YouTube has helped them to reach out to 295K people and 4.1K likes. But the film is much more deserving to get to more people.

A victory is hailed but a fall is wept in silence. The female gender has always been vulnerable despite the heavy discussions and actions on gender equality and feminism. Aspiring to break all the chains of societal pressures, the protagonist portrays women from all walks of life. The film Bindi pricks one’s conscience to return to their deeds and make a cross-check on ‘how one has been to females, all these years.

“Do you know what is the most insecure word in society?”

“Ladki !”

Change is inevitable. Time will eventually force the world to change. After all, it was all a Big Bang that made this whole galaxy possible!

“Prejudice is the child of ignorance”- William Hazlitt

In the modern age of globalization when physical boundaries are blurring, we are building walls in our hearts on baseless prejudices. We are quick to judge and alienate people who do not concur with the beliefs, values and ideals we uphold. What happens when we make assumptions about a person solely based on the way they dress? Riya Mukherjee addresses the theme of religious discrimination, specifically Islamophobia, through her short film ‘The Disguise’. Directed by Sandeep Varma, this short film is set in London. ‘The Disguise’ conveys a powerful message to society through the mere 17 minutes of its running time.  

Thought-provoking Theme

‘The Disguise’ gives us a glimpse into the lives of two women leading separate lives, Rabia and Lena, who have assimilated into the Western culture in their own ways. While Rabia chooses to wear her burqa, Lena chooses to wear clothes that don’t make her seem foreign in a foreign land. However, an incident at the bus stop makes them question their choice of expressing their religious identity. Witnessing how Rabia’s choice to wear a burqa invites distasteful glances and indifferent treatment from people, Lena decides to assert her religious identity loudly.

Following this incident, both women decide to bring a change to their outfits. Rabia’s partner pressures her to step out for once without the burqa. Though she is hesitant at first, she gives in to his persuasion. She notices a change in the way people see her. She receives smiles from unknown people. Bags are not placed on empty seats on the bus. However, she is not recognized by people who used to identify her before. While Rabia gets treated as a human being for once, Lena becomes the odd one out. Her veil makes her unrecognizable – even to her friends and people, she meets every day on her bus. 

‘The Disguise’ is an Eyeopener

‘The Disguise’ tries to highlight the different treatment meted out to the same women depending on their choice of attire. The film brilliantly draws a contrast between how people treat a person based on their physical appearances. When Rabia’s partner tells her that she should be grateful that it was a squirt gun and not a real gun, it offers little consolation to her. Moreover, his words reflect the harsh reality of the world we are living in. 

Shouldn’t we as the human race be worried that we offer such statements as consolation? Shouldn’t we be ashamed that we have advanced tremendously, and are still retarded when it comes to respecting other people’s choices? Should our choice of what we wear, what we eat, and who we worship, be prerequisites to deserve the respect that we all deserve as human beings? ‘The Disguise’ is a short film that leaves you with these questions in your mind and makes you rethink one’s prejudicial actions. 

The rural India is economically and socially still developing. Gender disparity in the country has remained one of the most staunch and age-old social issues. This has led to women bearing double the implications of all socio-economic issues in the country. The health of women in rural India is one of the most neglected topics in the country. Women in rural India tirelessly work in the fields, and are the sole bearers of household drudgery after the labour done in the beating sun. They’re usually the last ones to eat their food, after they serve the elders, the husband, and her children. So, women’s physical and nutritional health is compromised, anyway. However, when they get pregnant, the health of not only the mother, but the baby is also compromised. Pregnancy is a crucial time period, where a woman nurtures another human being in her womb. It is self-explanatory that she requires high-protein foods, vegetables and fruits, and plenty of rest. However, for most of these women, this is a luxury. Anhad Films has delivered an eye opening and informative documentary titled, ‘Janam Aur Jeevan’, on the lives of rural women and the lack of maternity benefits for women in villages. Poverty paints a different life for different women, especially in the face of pregnancy.

Hidden Realities of the Woman of Rural India

Anhad Films, through their documentary, Janam Aur Jeevan, screened real-life instances of women from rural India, and their unfortunate experiences of pregnancy. All these women shared similar experiences of pregnancy: malnutrition, back-breaking work during pregnancy, lack of financial assistance from the government, ignorant health staff at public hospitals, and debt problems. 

Living in urban cities and developed spaces, we often forget that not everyone has the luxuries we do. While big celebrities have huge gender reveal parties, baby showers, and a period of celebration and delight, on the other side of the coin are frail pregnant women, toiling hard to make ends meet. Most of these women spend whole days working in the fields, in immense pain, when they should be resting and eating well. However, they’re forced into such works, since medical costs can be too much out of their capability to pay. Delivery is sometimes life-threatening for women. In cases like these, they need immediate medical attention and funds.

The Importance of Maternity Benefits

The government has realised that women from these backward spaces need medical attention. Under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, which is a maternity benefit programme, pregnant women are entitled to financial assistance from the government. The money credited to them is a very small amount, but that is not the only flaw. Only one-fourth of these women actually receive these benefits. The documentary brings women from different walks of life under the spotlight. Many of these women are aware of the maternity programmes.

Jeevan Aur Janam also highlights the importance of awareness about the government maternity benefits. They have a right to it, and such financial assistance is a luxury for women. Even such a small amount can help them with their nutrition or their medical fee. The government, apart from maternity benefits, needs to put a stringent check on public hospitals, which are negligent towards the well-being of woman. The documentary also shows how most of these women have to travel long distances to hospitals, and sometimes out of their villages for private hospitals, since most of these public ones lack basic facilities. The documentary is an excellent work covering most of the related aspects. 

Documentaries like Jeevan Aur Janam are of crucial importance since they bring first-hand personal experiences on the table. Even privileged people should know about the maternity benefit programs, and if the government is functioning the way it should. One must sensitize oneself to such issues, and contribute either by sharing information like this, or by providing financial assistance to the needy. A lot of work needs to be done in the health sector of the country, especially for women who are burdened with excessive social and physical expectations. One must watch this documentary by Anhad Films for more extensive knowledge and insight on this issue.

A widowed mother, according to the society, is what if not a subject of pity and powerlessness? Her husband, through which she was seen as sustained, is now gone, and so she is incapable of navigating the world around her. Ankit Agrawal brings to the screens a story of an illiterate widowed mother and her daughter. This is not an ordinary short film, it’s a film about women, education and illiteracy, community, hope and love. The short film, Signature, is a product of excellent cinematography and storytelling. 

Synopsis

Lata is a widowed mother. Her husband, who was an army officer, sacrificed himself for the country. She has gotten used to the pain and his absence now. She supports herself and her daughter through tailoring work. Her daughter, Yashwi, is a sweet girl, and the brightest of the students in her class. She is naïve, and the world is still a place of mysteries for her. Her curiosity gets the best out of everything. One day at the Post Office, she sees that her mother stamps her thumb on the form as her signature, instead of using the pen like the other people around. Soon, through her teacher, she gets to know that the thumb stamp is a sign of illiteracy, and that it is used by people who don’t know how to read and write, and therefore cannot make their own signature. This upsets Yashwi a lot. She desires for her mother to be able to read and write. Like a happy ending, a young Yashwi takes on herself to teach her mother enthusiastically. At the end of the movie, Lata finally signs boldly with a pen, and not the thumb ink stamp. 

The Elements of the Movie, and the Story Ahead

The character of Lata is played by the talented actress Pratibha Vishwakarma. The young Yashwi is played by the brilliant Arya Chaudhari. Both Pratibha Vishwakarma and Arya Chaudhari bring to life this wonderful mother-daughter duo. Ankit Agrawal, through Signature, highlights the importance of education, and argues that education and literacy should not be a luxury. Another beautiful aspect of the film is how Lata is taught by her own daughter, instead of some other adult. So, while Lata labours hard to give her daughter the best educational opportunities possible, Yashwi makes sure that her mother too achieves what is her right by birth. She wants people to look at her mother with respect and not reduce her to an ‘unpadh’, or ‘illiterate’.

Illiteracy is often treated as a shameful and inferior quality. However, for most illiterate people, especially girls from small towns and villages, education is a luxury. The film also gives a poignant picture of community love and unity amongst people in small villages and towns. Ankit Agrawal incorporated this reality into the film, which gives certain degrees of realism to the film as well. The movie ends with Lata and Yashwi handing a book of Hindi alphabets to another illiterate lady, as a message that everyone deserves literacy, and is their birthright. You can watch the short film here.

A woman’s life is determined by societal norms and expectations the day she’s born. This harrowing reality shapes itself as a scar on the mental and emotional wellbeing of women and girls. Young girls are kept under a check to not laugh too much, keep themselves within the accepted weight, etc. As they mature, the burden of being a worthy candidate in the marriage market is dumped on them. Even women’s own choices are not free, and are driven by the patriarchal society. In such a world, is there a place for women, then? To scrape out spaces for themselves in a world run by men, more often than not, women give in to this condescending conditioning, which is a battle they’ve to fight with themselves. Mirror, a short film, directed by Tushar Mahajan, and story by Alka Shukla bring to the screen this conflict that women are surrounded by. The movie knits the frailty of the years of burden on the shoulders of women, and the ability to transgress the boundary between beating oneself and finally accepting oneself. 

The Story of Countless Women 

This is the story of Kshama, played by the talented Puja Agarwal, a woman, representing all women indeed. We see her troubled, burdened, and stressed, as she gets away from an argument with her husband about having children. Women, as we know, are the child bearers, and in most places, are seen as baby-producing machines only. Kshama, like any human being, doesn’t want to be weighed down. She has the right to an independent life of her own accord. Motherhood is often a challenging task, and for a woman, it can take a lot of mental equilibrium and patience. 

We see Kshama sit in front of the mirror, and come face to face with her younger selves. Her younger self too was pressured to obey rules, like lose her weight, wear proper clothes, or act like a lady. A young Kshama often jumped beyond the stipulated boundaries of the female sex and had to say sorry all her life to the society for breaking the rules. 

This 4-minute short film stands as a stark reality for many women, who have often wanted to live life without being held by the shackles of the patriarchy that thrive on the subjugation of women, and moulding them into one way. 

Direction, Acting, and Message of Hope

The story of women brought to life by Alka Shukla receives its full highlight through the direction of Tushar Mahajan, and actor Puja Agarwal. The film begins with despair, but ends with a moment of relief and release. Puja Agarwal brings to life the extremely repressed anguish of women. She doesn’t belie the sentiments, and puts in her best act! The claustrophobic mental space of women is depicted through the mirror, in which Kshama looks at her past selves, who were always reprimanded for not behaving in a certain way. She keeps saying sorry to the society, no matter how much she herself was getting hurt during these moments.

The sound effects, the lightning, the background music, everything comes together in the perfect harmony to visualise that gloomy space women have been trying to break through. Kshama, at the end of the movie, instead of saying sorry to her own husband, as she should have, owing to the expectations of a good wife, says sorry to herself. She says sorry for giving into the pressures of others instead of living for own self. This apology to herself is also an acceptance of her own self and that she refuses to be moulded according to the wishes of the others.

Alka Shukla and Tushar Mahajan bring to the viewers this excellent short film, Mirror, to ponder over, and bring these unconscious, and undiscussed topics into the mainstream.