Writer and filmmaker Mehnaaz Nadiadwala feels that sufferings have powered successful people to create exclusive artworks. By Ayushi Sharma

As an Indian, one inherently connects with a story that revolves around portraying the whimsical desire of Indian families, wanting a male child, even at the cost of female infanticide. If this girl survives and grows up to be an adult, it is only then that she can become a stalwart who helps in creating communities and inspiring dynamic thought processes. Of course the society is evolving and the benchmark set for women has undergone a radical transformation, creating progressive and more responsive individuals. All these and more issues were discussed when Arttdinox by JSL Lifestyle strengthened their women-centredness by associating with the internationally acclaimed film — It’s a Girl, directed and produced by Mehnaaz Nadiadwala. The event was important for another reason for it’s not very often that we see a lifestyle brand standing up for a social cause of believing in empowering women in divergent spheres.

Mehnaaz says, “The drive towards women’s empowerment is what this brand upholds, which is a direct metaphor to what I perceive this film to depict.” The film aims at  spreading awareness about the growing need to educate the society against the social evils that circumscribe a woman’s life span, right from the birth.

The story revolves around a boy who falls in love with a girl (Karen) from UK who has come to India to pursue her career in modeling, after the accidental demise of her parents. As the story progresses, it is established that this love story is actually a conversation between the mother (Karen) and her unborn baby. The mentality of pressurising and hoping for a male child among urban, high class and  educated people, is depicted. “The child doesn’t want to come into a world which is mentally demented. Karen is trying to convince her that she would empower the child and stand by its side no matter what,” Mehnaaz tells us.

Often a debilitating loss powers great artistes to create profound art works. For Mehnaaz, it was the colossal loss of losing her mother. We wonder if she had been alive, would the book or film have been possible? “She passed away on my father’s birthday — April 13. It was 2016. I can clearly recall that I was in a hijab as I had just got back from my spiritual trip. It was a huge lose for me. For the first three months I went silent. While mourning, I disconnected from the world. As they say, the pen is mightier than the sword and I was struck with the idea of writing a book. When you pen your thoughts, you are actually going through the process of healing. I felt the need to voice my views on women and dedicated this book to my mother. I decided to work on a book, backed by research and make it a manual for every woman. If I wouldn’t have sunk in the silence after she passed away, probably I wouldn’t have picked up the pen and written the book,” she says.

So does it mean that suffering is imperative for everyone to excel in their creative fields? Well, not really, she says and goes on to add, “Look at it in a positive way. When I am extremely happy, I start painting. I am a painter too. It’s basically about emotions which bring out the best in you. It is when you are experiencing the highs and lows that you do your best. Emotion is imperative, not suffering.”

The lady, who hails from the Bollywood family of Nadiadwalas, says that it is necessary to spread the message of saving the girl child. “It is insane that only male children were being born in 132 villages in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand in three months this year. So I wrote the book on different atrocities of women, starting from female foeticide to incest, from stalking to rapes and how we can empower them slowly. Its theme song is sung by Rama Duke and Tony Mercedes. I floated the idea to them that I wanted it to be sung, recorded and edited in Hollywood so that it becomes a global cause. And that is also the reason for portraying a girl from UK in the film as she doesn’t understand the concept of killing her child. She questions that. It was important not to restrict the cause to India but to spread it to different countries so that everyone understands that this is something which has to be taken seriously. The film has relieved many awards but it’s not about them. Rather, it’s about the recognition of the cause. People from America, UK and Europe have started talking about it. And the support from the media is so important to bring this further to light. Pehle beti bachao fir hi toh beti padhaoge,” she says.

Mehnaaz elaborates on the reason why brands are associating their promotional strategies with campaigns and films based on women empowerment. Such campaigns have done the rounds over the past few years now. “Because when you associate yourself with a film, the message gets stronger and clearer. It’s not just about being in the commercial film space but becoming holistic where corporates join hands with us. It strengthens the brand and also the cause. I feel more empowered when corporates join me,” she says.

Mandeep Singh, chief executive officer of the brand, adds that a lot depends on the brand philosophy which can simply say that it centres around lifestyle but there has to be a softer side to it. There has to be a certain responsibility towards the society.

Films too have a responsibility as they have the highest capacity to impact minds collectively. Does Mehnaaz believe in it? Yes, she says. “I do. Making a film is a responsibility in itself. It has to be thought-provoking.” Citing an example from Rohit Shetty’s Simmba, she says, “I loved how it came back to the girl child after the whole action, fun and violence. People should be conscious and know how to give back to the society. Like you see Aamir Khan’s film, they are so profound and meaningful. The common thing between films and a brand is that they connect with the masses.”

How far, does she think, we have come? “Places like Haryana have a long way to go. If we would have done a press conference there it would have been better and different. Mandeep says, “We have a long way to go, these are just footprints on sand, Manzil abhi door hai lekin raasta humne sahi chuna hai (The destination is far but we have chosen the right path).  I can remember Robert Frost’s words, ‘The woods are lovely, dark and deep but I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep.’”