LaalBati

𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗮 𝗩𝗶𝗻𝘆𝗮𝗸: I’ve grown up in a family where my father has been my greatest support and the backbone of our family, especially for my mother. However, my mother has been my biggest source of power. I’ve been brought up by headstrong and independent women. In situations where they were scared, they’ve managed to come show up fearlessly. Films have been a part of my life but filmmaking has been the centre of my universe and there’s nothing that brings me more joy and a good adrenaline rush than having the privilege of bringing stories to life whilst being a part of the process. Stories have always been about emotions for me first and I truly believe my sense of feeling emotions so deeply comes from the females in my life. Women having a greater identity and perspective than just their designated titles will forever be a compelling plot to me and thus, Laalbatti was born. The idea of shooting prostitution struck me 4 years ago although when I began conceptualizing it, it did get challenging but felt right. Recce’s, communication with my sources, managing the onset action with the people of Kamathipura and so much more has been the most intimidating and thrilling experience. Amongst all this my favorite part was our crew. A bunch of super talented people and the most hardworking ones. This project wouldn’t have gone anywhere if the crew didn’t support me with this dangerously crazy idea. This film might be my child first but I could’ve never raised without them, nobody did it better than them and nothing made sense without them. I got a golden crew.
LAALBATTI: where myths and mayhem co-exist, is about the darkest part of this city. It’s about those lanes that hold stories that have only ever been myths or rumors to you. It’s about those sex workers who were tricked or forced into this but is also about those prostitutes who willingly chose this lifestyle. The chain of prostitution was scary to unfold but the closer you get, the more you feel the pain than the fear. The brothels of Kamathipura might have various scars but every scar holds a story. Acts of carnality, art of resilience, voices of hope and imprinted souls with vibrant personalities. Here’s to the women living in a matchbox-sized room with a laalbatti, it’s time for your story.

𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗵 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗹: I have been born and brought up on the ghats of the holy city of Benaras, where the love of tea binds us all. The richest of the rich and the poorest of the poor all sit down at the same tea stalls drinking the same 5 Rs. tea.
And that is the beauty of Benaras, you see these complex people, each with their own stories and you take an interest in their lives and their worldview.
And I believe it is this ingrained quality of mine that had me reminding my teammates that this is a film about prostitutes and not prostitution. For we all know what prostitution entails but we make this terribly childish mistake of grouping prostitutes with their profession as their sole identity. This question struck me— Would I as an individual only want to be known as a filmmaker, am I not more complex than that? That had me delving deeper into the psyche of the prostitutes, their wants and their needs and their position in society.
We talk about equality, justice, and rights but we forget about the voiceless, the ones we have cases aside from the mainstream society, sitting in our high chairs deeming them unfit to mingle with “normal people”. Then we add salt to their wounds by pitying them. Rapists, murderers, and gangsters walk amongst us but it is these women, working hard to provide for their families, who are cast aside. It is because we never have been made to think about their lives and their desires, because they do not seemingly matter.
The world has a limited perspective on the way that they operate and they see the world and we hope to have created a film that has been able to fill a little part of that gap. They are humans, their stories matter as much as yours and as much as mine.