Kajol headlines her first short film that highlights women issues; shares screen space with Shruti Haasan
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; January 16, 2020)

It’s a year of many firsts for Kajol — the actor, who is set to make her digital debut with Tribhanga later this year, has also shot for her first short film. Titled Devi, the drama for Large Short Films revolves around nine oppressed women from different strata of society, and has her sharing screen space with Shruti Haasan and Neha Dhupia. If the story celebrates woman power on screen, the scene wasn’t too different off-screen either — barring producers Niranjan Iyengar and Ryan Stephen, and art director Sriram Iyengar, it was an all-woman crew at work.

Kajol, who is known to be choosy about scripts, says the film is relevant in today’s times when discussion around the need for gender equality has gained credence. “I couldn’t have chosen a better subject for my first short film. My character, Jyoti, is vastly different from me, but uncannily, we share a lot of similarities. In today’s times when gender discrimination, abuse and violence is being spoken about vociferously, films like Devi are far more relevant,” says the actor.

Stating that director Priyanka Banerjee drives home a “poignant” message with her debut vehicle, Haasan adds, “We talk about sisterhood and how women need to stand with each other. Devi highlights that aspect with a powerful message.”