DNA (April 29, 2019)

Mozez Singh’s body of work is fast establishing him as a director with a social conscience, albeit with a dash of cool. In 2018, he helmed the highly-successful gender-bender short film First Period about menstruation for The Gates Foundation. This year, he followed it up with the youth empowerment short film, Ab Meri Baari, which urged first-time voters to go out and cast their ballot. While First Period was supported by Twinkle Khanna, Karan Johar backed Ab Meri Baari.

Now, Mozez has directed another short, Every Single Breath, for the Gateway School, a leading institution for kids with special needs. Bobby Deol, who is acting in it with another big star, has lent his unconditional support to the venture.

He is developing a digital series for producer Vipul Shah, too, which he is co-writing along with Ishani Banerjee. The psychological thriller is rooted in reality and inspired by one of the greatest catastrophes that India has faced.

The director-producer is also penning the ultimate song-and-dance feature film with noted writer-editor Apurva Asrani. Describing it as ‘the mother of all extravaganzas,’ Mozez says, “It will be something that India has not seen before.” He adds, “Everything that I’m working on is rooted in the zeitgeist. As a filmmaker, I feel it’s important to tell stories that reflect the sign of the times because this is our moment. And the privilege of being a storyteller allows me to tell stories that challenge, change and respect the times we live in.”

Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; May 28, 2018)

She ventured into production with Pad Man that revolved around the subject of menstrual hygiene and now columnist and author, Twinkle Khanna, has come forward to support a short film, First Period. It is written and directed by Mozez Singh, who had made the film Zubaan (2016) earlier. She will launch the short across social media, today, on World Menstrual Day. The film deals with the sensitive subject of the day of the first period from a boy’s viewpoint and shows a world where women don’t exist, and the tables are flipped.

Says Mozez, “When I was approached by Dasra, the NGO behind the film alongside The Gates Foundation, their brief was they wanted men to be involved in the conversation about menstrual hygiene. So, we wrote a script where we showed everything from a man’s point of view and how in that world it’s all perfect and empowering. It raises the question why can’t this happen in a woman’s world and forces you to neutralise gender disparity. First Period is another voice in that conversation.”

While working on the movie, the filmmaker decided to take Twinkle’s feedback on it because he believes she is largely responsible for making menstrual hygiene a topic of conversation with her book and film.

Once the short was ready, the filmmaker showed it to Twinkle, who was impressed with it. “She felt the film made a solid and forceful point and she offered her support immediately. I remain indebted to her,” says Mozez gratefully.