Vidya Balan, who was praised for her work in Sherni, talked about her next short film ‘Natkhat’. The film projects toxic masculinity and how women are suppressed even today. The actress plays the role of a woman in ‘ghoongat’ in the movie. Despite being suppressed, her character, Surekha teaches her 7-year-old son about gender equality. In conversation with indianexpress.com, she opened up about her experience while working on the film. She also mentioned that it is a kind of film that will make the viewers uncomfortable.
She said, “We are probably in a different situation than Surekha, my character in Natkhat. Yet, we’re trapped in this patriarchal mindset, sometimes unconsciously. When I first heard the story, my first question to the director Shaan Vyas was ‘how are you going to tell the story in 30 minutes?’ But once I watched the film, I said, ‘thank god it is a short film,’ because it is a kind of film that makes you uncomfortable.”
Talking about her most favorite shot from the movie, she said, “One of my favorite shots in the film is a close-up of all the men sitting at the dining table. The focus is on their faces and mouths as a veiled woman serves them food. I thought it was a very powerful scene, for even before a word is spoken, that scene sets the stage. And yes, it would anger me. I remember when I was in that ghoongat, I was really irritable because I am not used to having anything on my face. That made me realize the plight of women for whom it is a reality. It really angered me immensely.”
The short film is directed by Shaan Vyas and also stars Sparsh Srivastav, Raj Arun, Sanika Patel, and Atul Tiwari. Natkhat will be released on Voot on July 24.
