Nandita Das dissects 'Listen to Her', says 'women will speak up if we listen to them'

Nandita Das who recently released a short film that addressed issues of domestic violence, and highlighted crimes against women, in a recent interview with an online portal, said that if more people listen to women, they will have more courage and strength to speak against domestic violence or any other crime that happens to them. She added that domestic violence or any crime against women is not a private matter anymore but a matter of human rights, which should be in the public eye and not kept under the wraps. We need to be good listeners and encourage women to speak up against domestic violence, said Nandita Das in the interview. 

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Nandita Das on Listen To Her 

Nandita Das' short film Listen to Her released in May. Shot at the house with the help of her househelp, the movie emphasised on listening to a domestic violence victim. Sharing what persuaded her to make the short film, Nandita Das said the increasing domestic violence cases during the lockdown was the main reason. However, somewhere she wanted to showcase a modern woman's life to the audiences. 

Nandita Das said the modern-day woman is ''over-burdened''. She said that a modern-day woman is a ''mother, daughter, an employee, and a wife''. She juggles multiple roles with no help from her partner or family, added Nandita. The only solution to the problem is men sharing the responsibility, believes Nandita Das. 

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Listen to Her is based on a real-life story that Nandita Das read on a leading daily, revealed the director in an old interview. In the same interview, Nandita Das called overburdening women with responsibilities and work as abuse. She said that a woman's hard work is often taken for granted in the realm of a patriarchal society. The short film has grossed more than 4 lakhs views online in a few weeks. 

Lister to Her short film: 

Nandita Das last helmed Nawazuddin Siddiqui starrer Manto. The movie was a recollection of Saadat Hasan Manto's poems intertwined with his autobiography. The Nandita Das directorial also featured actors like Rashika Duggal, Rishi Kapoor, Tahir Raj Bhasin, among others in pivotal roles. The film was bankrolled by HP Studios, Filmstoc, and Viacom 18 Motion Pictures.

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