Deepa Mehta: Why is self-determination in women interpreted as selfish?

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Deepa Mehta's documentary will be screened at the Kashish Pride Film Festival. She will also unite with actor-director Nandita Das to celebrate 26 years of ‘Fire’. In an exclusive chat with us, she dwells on the response ‘Fire’ evoked, whether it has aged well, and how her documentary asks the same question

Indian-Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta is set to screen her documentary ‘I am Sirat’ at the Kashish Pride Film Festival in Mumbai on May 18. ‘I am Sirat’ follows Sirat Taneja, a trans woman, as she navigates her life in New Delhi. 

Sirat leads a fulfilling life outside her home, with a steady job, a supportive circle of friends, and an active presence on social media. However, at home, she is forced to hide her true identity and pretend to be someone she's not - a dutiful son to a mother who cannot come to terms with having a transgender daughter. Shot almost entirely on smartphones, this collaborative documentary offers us an intimate look at Sirat’s life and explores the duality that is an oppressive reality for many LGBTQIA+ individuals.  

Mehta, best known for her Elements Trilogy, ‘Fire’ (1996), ‘Earth’ (1998), and ‘Water’ (2005), has received critical acclaim for her nuanced portrayal of complex social issues, and human rights struggles through intimate storytelling. This dedication to social commentary has garnered her numerous awards and accolades, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film for ‘Water’.

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The festival will also unite Mehta with acclaimed actor and director Nandita Das for a conversation with noted film critic and curator Meenakshi Shedde to celebrate 26 years of the release of ‘Fire’. A landmark film for the LGBTQIA+movement in India, ‘Fire’ broke ground by depicting a lesbian relationship, a topic absent from mainstream Indian cinema at the time. This portrayal brought homosexuality out of the shadows and into the homes of middle-class India. The film sparked public dialogue and challenged traditional views on sexuality, paving the way for greater visibility and understanding of the LGBTQIA+ community in India.

In an exclusive chat with mid-day.com, Mehta talks about her unrelenting curiosity, the public response to ‘Fire’, and discovering a liberal side of Delhi through her co-director.

Here are edited excerpts: 
 
In ‘Fire’, Sita tells Radha, “There is no word in our language that can describe what we are. How we feel for each other.” In times when most people were not armed with the vocabulary to self-identify, what drew you to make the film?
 
I think other folks in India were armed with the vocabulary for self-identity, but perhaps ‘Fire’ allowed them to express it. At least the anger that ‘Fire’ unleashed by self-confessed ‘protectors of Indian culture’, who proclaimed across the board that there were ‘no lesbians in India’ reverberated through the country. I remember vividly when the Regal Cinema in Delhi had been trashed for screening ‘Fire’, a protest that evening just blew me away. As far as one could see and observe I saw women carrying placards that proclaimed, “We are lesbians and we are Indians.” I think we underestimate the human ability to see through bull shit! 
 
I had made a film about emotional empathy turning into a physical relationship, and was curious about how it would affect the two female protagonists. Little did I know that it would affect a large part of the Indian population. Male and female. Too bad it was shut down and our amazing Indian distributor Jhamu Sughand took a huge financial hit. I remember what he said to me as ‘Fire’ was taken off all the movie halls, “Jaane do. Hum ne accha kiya. Paisay gaye, to kya hua?”

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The film's ending is powerful and ambiguous. Can you discuss your reasons for choosing this ending and what you hoped audiences would take away from it?

I am glad you think the ending is powerful and better still that it is ambiguous. There is no certainty in life. Change is the only constant. Forgive if it sounds trite. But hey, that’s what I really believe. 
 
After the Central Board of Film Certification cleared ‘Fire’ without any cuts, did you anticipate the scale of protests the right-wing subjected it to? Do you believe ‘Fire’ could see a theatrical release in the current scenario?

I was deeply touched when the censor board of India (headed by two really strong women) passed the film without any cuts. But the irony is that it was the Mahila Aghadi-the women’s wing of the Shiv Sena that barged into a Mumbai theatre and rampaged the movie hall. Most of them carried ‘belans’ and flourished them like weapons! Could ‘Fire’ see a similar scenario in the current climate? Only if it serves a political purpose, I think.
 
Today, audiences view cinema with a microscopic lens and quickly comment on what’s appropriate. Do you believe ‘Fire’ has aged well? Looking back at the filmmaking process, is there anything you would have done differently?
 
I think the curiosity that made me make ‘Fire’ has aged well. The cultural battle between duty, responsibility, and family obligation versus self-determination still rages. As Avni Doshi in her brilliant novel ‘Burnt Sugar’ has the protagonist ask, “Why is self-determination in women interpreted as selfish?” If anything, I wish we had made the film in Hindi. But when the translation arrived, I felt it was a bit heavy-handed. And unfortunately, we didn’t have the time nor the money to have it get another go.
 
How did you come across Sirat Taneja? What made you invested in telling her deeply personal story?
 
Sirat Taneja played the role of a jailer in the dystopian series Leila (which was co-directed by Mehta). We all (Huma Qureshi, Priya Sreedharan and Netflix Creative) loved the fact that she had no hesitation in going the distance. Sirat is fearless! 
 
LGBTQIA+ representation in the media has often lacked the nuance and sensitivity of a queer perspective. I am Sirat is a collaborative directorial effort by you alongside Sirat Taneja. How did her queer gaze influence the documentary? How has your storytelling evolved in depicting queer lived experiences?
 
Sirat was an invaluable partner in making ‘I Am Sirat’. I learnt so much from her and more importantly, she exposed me to a Delhi that I thought did not exist. A liberal Delhi of the gay and transgenders. Far less bound by tradition than what would be expected.
 
After premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023, I am Sirat is set to screen at the Kashish Film Festival in Mumbai. What are your expectations from Indian audiences?

I am so glad that ‘I am Sirat’ is getting screened at South Asia’s largest LGBTQIA+ film festival as it will find a larger audience. I think Sirat the protagonist, Sirat the co-director, Sirat the transwoman, Sirat the hopeful (against all odds) Sirat the Instagram persona, Sirat who loves her family, Sirat who laughs easily, Sirat who is so wise and kind would be BLOODY hard to resist! 

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