Kavita Awaasthi (HINDUSTAN TIMES; March 11, 2020)

After she made her directorial debut with Nil Battey Sannata (2016) which garnered critical acclaim, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari followed it up with the comedy Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017) and Panga, this year. The director has always been appreciated for the way she handles female characters while challenging stereotypes.

And with her recent short film Ghar Ki Murgi, starring Sakshi Tanwar, Tiwari pays an ode to homemakers who are taken for granted. She says, “A story about the selfless spirit of a homemaker — who tends and cares for her family without thinking much about herself — has a universal appeal. Most people think that a homemaker doesn’t do much. They feel if a woman is educated and works, only then you have value. But the truth is that women who take care of their homes are true heroes and do as much, if not more. They are super women, and maybe, due to circumstances may not have had a job or choose not to work. But it, in no way, mean they are dumb, including the uneducated women like many women farmers who know their job, take care of their fields and later, their kids. They are super heroes.”

Even in her films, Tiwari has always talked about women empowerment, sometimes highlighting the issue and sometimes subtly putting the message across. But it is “not a conscious decision”, she shares. “The need to talk about a women’s perspective comes on its own. It is important as a storyteller to understand what I want to contribute to society or the world of films. If I can find my true vision and purpose for being a storyteller, then I will be contributing to my country and society. I feel stories have a way to evoke, inspire and create change in society. I try to do that, without too much gyaan, and give some takeaway for my audiences.”

Tiwari admits that she never goes to make stories about nari shakti as she doesn’t feel she is a true feminist. For her, feminism isn’t about shouting and screaming about women empowerment. “For me, feminism is about doing your own thing in a subtle way but being strong. Taking decisions which are the need of the hour for the family, being ready to say no for things you don’t believe in, speaking your mind, which could be by shouting and screaming and telling people to look at you or by not raising your voice yet people listening to you. For me, feminism is not about competing with men but walking along with men,” she concludes.

Upholding feminists as women more capable than her, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari on her film Ghar Ki Murgi, which stars Sakshi Tanwar, on a modern woman's equation with society
Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; March 9, 2020)

Right from her first movie, Nil Battey Sannata (2015), to her last outing, Panga, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari's portrayal of women in cinema has been uninhibited and unapologetic. In the same vein comes her latest offering, the Sakshi Tanwar-starrer Ghar Ki Murgi, that dwells on a modern woman's emotional journey, and her equation with society.

Despite the short having its roots in Indian settings, Tiwari says the story is universal. "Every country fights for equal representation of women. A story like this one represents everyone across the universe. [If one] takes this anywhere, the problem will remain the same, only the faces will change," she says of the film that released online over the weekend.

In a world that frowns upon the word feminism, owing to its ambiguous interpretation, Tiwari too refrains from calling her one, albeit for different reasons. "We've forgotten what the word means. Feminism for me is [a person like] my grandmother, who took care of three kids, and gave them the best education, when her husband passed away early. Or someone like Nirbhaya's mother [Asha Devi], who is fighting for justice without the aid of social media. When people tell me that I am a feminist, I say I am not one at all."