Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; July 30, 2019)

Writer Shilpi Dasgupta, who makes her debut as a director with Khandaani Shafakhana, seeks small-town stories. According to her, “Small towns are no longer small. The topography and demographics are changing, and the texture of these cities is no longer the same.” The film starring Sonakshi Sinha, Varun Sharma and Badshah encourages people to talk about sex and sexrelated issues openly. Excerpts from a chat:

What drew you make your directorial debut with a film based on this subject?
When one of my writers came to me with this story, I felt it had a lot of merit and I should attempt it as a director. I took a call instinctively. The story was convincing and exciting. I loved the one-liner description of the film, and eventually, I was happy with the screenplay. It’s a relevant subject in the society that we live in. It becomes more compelling when you go deeper into the nitty-gritties of the story. And, the fact that the discussion is sparked by a girl makes it more interesting. The only thing that we needed was a team that could support the film’s purpose, and gradually, we found them.

In the last couple of years, several films revolving around taboo subjects, including sex, have been made in Bollywood. A film like Vicky Donor, in many ways, was path breaking. Did you think there would be comparisons?
I don’t think the films can be compared. I just felt that the timing of this film is right. India is waking up to a lot of things and we are ready to discuss things, or at least address them. There is a revolution of sorts around us, because now we are seeing people questioning things. Social media, even with all its flaws, gives you the freedom to ask questions. I can file an RTI and seek answers from the authorities. The system is changing, and so, even society needs to change its ways. Today, children are encouraged to ask questions in schools instead of mugging what is placed before them. We are evolving as a society, but it’s a slow process. Although there was a digression of sorts a few years ago, cinema has now begun to celebrate the non-hero, the non-larger-than-life entities. People are happy to watch something that is relatable. Actors like Rajkummar Rao and Ayushmann Khurrana are leading films because they are the faces of relatable cinema. I don’t feel bad that people are comparing my film with Ayushmann’s film, Vicky Donor. That film broke new ground, but my film presents a larger picture.

Sonakshi, in her interview, mentioned the fact that she was initially hesitant to mouth lines that had to do with sex on a set that was full of men. How did she come around?
For a while, Sonakshi and I were the only women working on this film. Gradually, more women joined in and the set had a fair number of men as well as women. By and large, films are not even a mirror of what our society is today. People are living in a comparatively liberated environment, yet, when you try talking about sex openly, they are uptight. When I told my mother about the subject of Khandaani Shafakhana, she was taken aback. She had her reservations like a lot of other people in our country, who are averse to talking about something so basic. As for Sonakshi, I think after her initial hesitation, she came around beautifully. She handled the role and the dialogues with confidence and comfort. She was one of those few people, who saw the whole point of the film. While shooting, she let go of her star image and became Baby Bedi.

Your film is set in Hoshiarpur, Punjab. A large part of our country has a stereotypical idea of machoism, which deters people (mostly men) from speaking openly about issues related to sex...
A victim is the one who suffers, and in most cases, it’s the woman. Our conditioning is so deep-rooted that even education can’t change it. Andh vishwas is deeper than rationale. We’ve tried to question the stigma around sex and having a woman talk about sex-related issues helps drive home the point. If someone doesn’t feel like having sex or has a problem while doing so, he or she should be able to speak up and have a dialogue. Not too many people notice this, but youngsters hit puberty much earlier today. Girls and boys go through hormonal hurricanes when they’re 10 and 11, but when do they really get sex education? They might be getting sex education around the time they are 14, but what should they do in the interim? The body goes crazy with hormonal changes and that’s the time when being able to talk to an adult helps. The lack of understanding pushes them to discuss things with friends, who are in the same boat as them. Or else, they search for answers on the web, and you know the imagery that search engines throw up when you type the word sex. That’s the reason parents have to be aware that education is not just gyaan about the birds and the bees, but it’s about being able to have an open and judgement-free discussion with their child. This is necessary, so that, their child grows up to be responsible about sex-related issues and brings any untoward behaviour to the family’s notice if it occurs. The situation in villages is even further away from the conversations we are having here. So, the more we talk about the subject in popular culture, the easier it will be for people to accept the change.