People marginalized by our society who still fight the proliferated antagonism My protagonists inspire me. Their struggle comes alive through the characters in my films. What fascinates me is their irreverence towards mainstream and the strength to own up their choices till the end. Exploring various dimensions of man-woman relationship is an underlying theme of most of my films. Through subversion of cumulative silence and prototypes of exploitation, my protagonists march towards love and empathy. I have also chosen to depict simple but autonomous, unconventional female characters who seek to challenge providence.
Sai, an urban lawyer in Thaang (Quest) who adopts empathy towards her gay husband; Lachchi, a rural girl in Paheli (The Riddle) who accepts a lover knowing that he was not her husband; Queen Shilavati, a queen in a 10th Century B.C. kingdom who pronounces awareness of her sexual desire in Anaahat (Eternity); Malati Karve in Dhyaas-Parva (An Era of Yearning) who in 1920s voluntarily rejects motherhood for setting a precedent in support of her husband's lonesome crusade for birth control; Tani maushi in Kairee (The Raw Mango) who inspires an orphan to rise above the selfless existence predestined for women; a victimized nameless girl in Daayraa (The Square Circle) who chooses to love a transvestite; Binni in Thodasa Roomani Ho Jayen (Let's Be Romantic) who defines that marriage is not an ultimate and sole aim for a girl; Sushma in Ankahee (The Unsaid) who steadfastly refutes the dictates of blind faith; or Ruhi in Akriet (Misbegotten) who protests against her status as a mistress. Savitri in And Once Again, Shama in Samaantar (Parallel Folds) and Suhasini in Dhoosar (Blurred) survive their eternal pain by renouncing the drudgery of life; their fight remains incessant.
My characters strive to break their alienation and assert against the mainstream dominance. I hope their struggle reaches out to the universal audience!