Blaming and Shaming

This story has been rattling around my head for pretty much my whole life. I always wondered what it would've been like for Sita to come home from her trauma, only to be constantly retraumatized by the people who supposedly love her. My hope is that we have given our viewers a different perspective on an ancient set of characters, and something new to think about.

My take on these characters is mine alone and I recognize that it will cause people discomfort, whether or not they are familiar with the characters or plots of the source material (The Ramayana & The Mahabharata).

While the film takes major characters out of space and time from The Ramayana (Sita, Rama, Lakshman) and The Mahabharata (Draupadi), my goal is for viewers to engage with a woman discussing her trauma, her relationship, and the way in which the world around her sees her. I believe these themes are still prevalent and relevant today, especially in this post Me Too era. Viewers who are familiar with these original Hindu epics may find discomfort in the flipped narrative. But hopefully, will still feel connected to the new material and can find themselves giving space to that discomfort to analyze what in themselves they recognize or fear. I hope those unfamiliar with the source material are able to engage with the story and are curious enough to explore this world further.

By "flipping the script" on an age-old tale, I believe I am asking members of my community, to look at how we discuss women and how we hold different standards for men and women. While the story focuses around specific Hindu characters, I do believe that conversation is universal to all communities. Difficult conversations are never fun but are always necessary.

Sharing a story that focuses on Indian American characters and actors filmed in North Carolina, fills me with pride as it mirrors a lot of our changing local demographics.