Mrunal Thakur
Mrunal Thakur on association with a series that encourages young girls to be their own superhero and tackle abuse
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; November 22, 2020)

There cannot be enough emphasis put on gender neutral reading material for children. Vouching for the cause is Mrunal Thakur, as she associates with US-based writer-actor Dipti Mehta and Ram Devineni's comic series that encourages young girls to be their own role models.

An adaptation of the novel series, Priya's Shakti, sees the protagonist — a rape survivor who rides a flying tiger — enable the girls of her village to stand up against abuse and sexual violence. The series is based on the experiences of the series' founder Ruchira Gupta. Thakur says, "While growing up, we didn't see many women superheroes in stories. They were dominated by men. It has been a desire to see more women centric stories."

Citing this series as a starting point to impart a different kind of education, Thakur adds that the show will teach kids to break free from the shackles of patriarchy. "Young boys and girls are differently conditioned by what they read and consume. As artistes, it's upon us to change their thinking process. I hope more gender-neutral stories are written so that we can create a balanced society."

A still from the comic book series