Empowerment comes from empathy

Wonder Women director Menon says film was born from her desire to form kinship with ladies on a similar personal journey, during her pregnancy

Unfulfilled wishes can sometimes lead to powerful cinema. Director Anjali Menon’s Wonder Women too is rooted in one such unrealised desire. The film — starring Parvathy Thiruvothu, Nithya Menen, Amruta Subhash and Nadiya Moidu, among others — was born out of the isolation Menon experienced during her pregnancy, more than 10 years ago. “You don’t feel understood. There is so much everybody says, but there is also so much that you want to know. I would have felt much more empowered had I known more. I would have loved some empathy,” recounts the director.

Anjali Menon

Through the SonyLIV film, she has presented a possibility where expectant mothers come together, becoming a strong support system for one another. “I was privileged and had my family around me, but one seeks empathy with people going through a similar [personal journey]. I would have loved a friend, who perhaps went through it and could tell me that it was okay.” 

Also Read: 'Wonder Women' trailer: Anjali Menon takes us through the journey of motherhood

For Menon, whose filmography largely comprises Malayalam films, the English-language venture is a change of pace. At the same time, it could be viewed as a risk, as an English offering can alienate a large section of the audience. “Who are we alienating? Those who don’t know English, right? So, when you have films in Hindi, are you not alienating people?” She adds that while the language is incidental, the urban theme is crucial. “I don’t want to alienate anyone, but we have to [understand] that we live in a country with great diversity. It is not okay to always alienate one lot, and not the other. Also, we have to take cognisance of the fact that this is an urban subject. We can make content for the urban population, right?”

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