Deepali Singh (DNA; June 1, 2019)

It was Mrunal Thakur’s first time in Vienna but the actress who made her debut with the critically-acclaimed Love Sonia last year, wasn’t in the Austrian city for tourism purposes. On Monday, the Tabrez Noorani directorial about the gritty reality of the sex trafficking business was screened at Stadtkino Wien, one of Austria’s oldest cinemas. This screening was organised by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), an independent institution of the OSCE based in Warsaw, Poland. ODIHR has been active in preventing and combating trafficking in human beings in the OSCE region since 1999. Later, the film will also be screened in Washington DC on June 9 and in Racine, Chicago on June 13 respectively.

For the one-film-old actress, it was a privilege to meet and interact with representatives of delegations of OSCE participating states, OSCE and UN officials, international experts on trafficking in human beings and law enforcement, representatives of international and civil society organisations working on the topic, survivor leaders and members of the media. “It was wonderful to discuss the issue and talk about ways to combat sex trafficking. We also discussed the filmmaking process with them,” she stated.

As for the response to the screening, Mrunal says it was absolutely wonderful. “One of the comments we got — which I personally loved — was that the film ends on a positive note. I’m glad that people see hope and are ready to fight against sex trafficking,” she said, post the screening in Vienna. The actress, who will be seen next in Super 30 and Batla House, is now looking forward to the next two screenings. “I will be travelling to Washington DC and Racine for the first time. It’s very important for me that the film reaches the audience everywhere because this story deserves to be told. What is even more important is that people are made aware of this issue happening around them, to realise it when they see it happening and to know who to approach,” she added.