January 16, 2022 1:14:40 am
She has made a five-minute film on domestic abuse, titled Swamaan Se (With dignity), which won the Special Jury Mention at the 14th Jaipur International Film Festival on January 7. AFTER THE first lockdown was announced in March 2020, the National Commission for Women received 1,477 complaints of domestic violence in 68 days, an increase of nearly 150 per cent from the 607 complaints received between March and May the year before.
“This data does not include the countless cases that go unreported. In India, one out of every three women is hit by a man she loves and trusts in the safety of her own home, or she is mentally or emotionally abused,” says Pune-based filmmaker Deepti Ghatge, who began to think about the subject and conceive a story that speaks about it.
She has made a five-minute film on domestic abuse, titled Swamaan Se (With dignity), which won the Special Jury Mention at the 14th Jaipur International Film Festival on January 7. It has also been officially selected for the Golden Short Film Festival, Rome, California Women’s Short Film Festival, and Tokyo International Short Film Festival.
The film revolves around a woman who is hesitant to bless her sister’s wedding, as she wonders if her sister would have to endure a similar fate as her. “The story is not based on any person or incident and is entirely fictional,” says Ghatge, adding that one of her earliest encounters with domestic violence happened more than 20 years ago. “Early one morning, I saw a woman from a well-to-do family sitting by the side of the road in nightclothes. She looked shocked and it was a horrifying sight for me. By the time I came out of my house to ask if she needed assistance, she had disappeared. It left a deep impact on me and I wondered what had happened to her that she had to leave her house in that state so early in the morning, or whether she was there all night,” she adds.
The film shows how it is a challenge for women in India to report domestic abuse or seek help. “Her whole family and life are at stake. If she speaks out, it can come right back to her. A woman generally thinks about her children first and wonders how they would live, especially if she is not financially independent,” says Ghatge.
Financing the movie was a challenge for the filmmaker, not only due to the Covid situation but also because movies on social awareness are not released commercially. Finally, FICCI FLO supported Swamaan Se, ensuring that the film was made.
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