Source: The Hindu
Nandita Das’ latest short film on domestic violence is called ‘Listen to Her’. She is known for choosing themes that steered away from the mundane and clichéd roles. The movie was entirely shot at her home. Moreover, the film has been supported by UNESCO, UN Population Fund, UNICEF, UN Women and the South Asia Foundation.
The rates for domestic violence have increased further since the lockdown. Nandita had participated in an online campaign to break the silence around domestic violence. Her film aims to do the same. She goes on to talk about the overburdening of work, which is not even seen as a form form abuse, but drains women. She explained how a woman’s work is taken for granted as her responsibility.
While talking about the challenges she faced in making the film during lockdown, she stated that she used her iPhone’s camera to record herself as she acted. She used her old phone to record the sound separately. Nandita had apparently coordinated with team members on Zoom to be able to view the footage while shooting. She also mentioned how her cook and her son help her shoot the film. She stated that she improvised some of the acts and she couldn’t remember the word-by-word dialogues she had written.
Explaining how most women are unaware of the rights and protection that they are entitled to, she emphasised on the importance of changing societal norms that reinforce discrimination and violence against women.
