Prime Video is currently streaming the documentary Women of My Billion (WOMB), a powerful chronicle of the fight against violence faced by women in India. Produced by Apoorva Bakshi and Monisha Thyagarajan’s Awedacious Originals in association with Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ Purple Pebble Pictures, Women of My Billion follows Srishti Bakshi’s journey on a 3,800 km walking pilgrimage from Kanyakumari to Kashmir over 240 days. The mission was to find and share stories about women, their struggles, dreams, rights, and victories against all odds.
An exclusive interview with MrFactBook revealed the filmmaker’s transformation post the experience, the documentary’s concept, and the portrayal of women in today’s cinema.
Highlights from the interview:
The documentary’s name, “Women of My Billion,” is quite compelling. What was the inspiration behind it?
The idea for the name came from Monisha Thyagarajan of Awedacious Originals, who believed in telling authentic stories. She felt that women needed a platform to share their own stories. The journey of creating the documentary began with this vision and the name symbolized the representation of billions of women.
Traveling 3,800 kilometers across India, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari in 240 days, must have been a life-altering experience. How has it changed you?
The journey was transformative, both internally and externally. Srishti mentioned feeling like a different person after the walk, unable to recognize her previous self. It was a deeply reflective and informative process that led her to pursue impactful storytelling rather than her previous career in marketing.
What message do you hope viewers take away from the stories of the women in your documentary?
The film aims to showcase hope and resilience in the face of adversity. Srishti encountered inspiring individuals like a father who defied societal norms to support his daughter’s education, showing that change is possible when communities come together to uplift women and girls.
Reflecting on the evolution of women characters in cinema, what are your thoughts on the current portrayals and how they can be improved?
While progress has been made in writing powerful roles for women in cinema, there is always room for improvement. The industry needs to move away from objectifying women and focus on portraying them as strong, independent individuals. There has been positive change, but more can be done to provide diverse and empowering representations of women on screen.
