The film is a love letter to Kutch – through the language, the artisans, the stunning cinematography and of course, the safed rann (the salt marsh). What made you pick this place specifically?
It was very important for us to place the story in Kutch because art is a very important element in the film and in Monghi’s journey as an artist. Something that is amazing about this land is the creativity and the art. Be it the music, be it the weaves, be it the handicraft. Everything about this place is so beautiful. Also, we’ve seen a very stereotypical depiction of Kutch thus far. In films and in songs, you only see the White Rann, but Kutch has so much more! In the film we’ve shown Khadiya Dhro, which is almost like the Grand Canyon. We shot on the actual location in Madhapar; the village, the house, everything that we’ve shot in is [the actual location]. We haven’t done up anything. So we thought that it would be very beautiful to have Monghi’s story (shown through) this town and the art.
A lot of the artists, and a lot of women who are very good at art do not pursue it because their families think that it’s lesser to be an artist. The idea of art being lesser is universal and happens not just in a Kutch but it can happen anywhere. We came across this lady in the US and she was obviously from a very well-to-do family. When she saw the trailer she had tears in her eyes and she said, “Oh my god this is literally what my husband said to me – ‘The women of our house do not work outside.’” This idea is especially prevalent in Gujaratis.
Also, the museum – the way the museum over there has been archived is incredible. It’s almost like the V&A Museum in London! And nobody knows about these things. We just thought it would be great to have all of those elements included visually.
Monghi fits well into that mould of a pure, sacrificing woman. The only real deviation from that characterization is her decision at the end. Even Dharmesh is a familiar, entitled patriarch. Was there ever a time when you and your writers wanted to experiment a bit more with the characters?
Yes, we have seen this kind of depiction of a self-sacrificing woman but that’s because it is a reality in a lot of ways. There are women like that. While I was enacting Monghi’s character, even though she is so completely different from me, there are so many elements to her that I connected with.
Even Dharmesh is a victim of patriarchy but doesn’t realise it because he has internalised it so much. For example, right now in a Gujarati house specifically, the woman is asked to get the water for men. These are very small things, I would also do them in my house. You don’t question it. We thought that it was interesting that he’s a curator, which means that he has an evolved sense of aesthetic, but also that he doesn’t value the aesthetic that his wife brings. Even if he values it, he doesn’t care about it because she doesn’t stimulate him enough. But at the same time when he has food that she has made, he cherishes it because he loves that taste and the familiarity of it. This tug and pull was something that we were playing with.