DIDIHOOD ~ Issue 61

Welcome to March Didis! 

Aside from the snow and bleak weather, March also brings us International Women's Day. Though it's nice to have a day to celebrate women, here at Didihood, celebrating our Didis is the foundation of everything we do. This month, we are looking for supporters for our second annual Didi Creative Fund. If you, or anyone you know, would be interested in donating towards this fund, please contact us. We can't wait to award this year's grants to another group of Didis pursuing their creative passion. 

Meet the Didi: 
Continuing our theme of celebrating Didis, this month we are highlighting documentary filmmaker Nisha Pahuja. Her latest documentary, To Kill A Tiger, had its Toronto premiere in February. The documentary also has three Canadian Screen Award nominations and will be screened at the Kingston Canadian Film Festival, Belleville Downtown DocFest, Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival, and the Barrie Film Festival's Reel Stories. 

Warning: This films mentions sexual violence and rape.
In To Kill A Tiger, Ranjit, a farmer in Jharkhand, India, takes on the fight of his life when he demands justice for his 13-year-old daughter, the victim of a brutal gang rape. The documentary charts the emotional journey of an ordinary man thrown into extraordinary circumstances — a father whose love for his daughter forces a social reckoning that will reverberate for decades to come. 

What inspired you to pursue a career in filmmaking? 
My 20s were a confusing time for me — I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I always felt like I wanted to pursue something creative but there was another part of me that had a strong desire to work in social justice. I fell into documentary filmmaking during that period of confusion. A producer named Geeta Sondhi (a friend to this day) hired me to do some research on a doc she was making. It changed my life. I found documentary to be the perfect expression of who I am — someone who loves storytelling but also is driven by a belief in equality and justice. 

To Kill A Tiger started off as a different film following a women's rights activist in India. Tell us about the journey this film took you on. 
Yes — a long and winding road it was...initially I was following the story of Mahendra Kumar, an activist who works with men and boys through an organization called The Centre for Health and Social Justice. Mahendra tries to teach men a more evolved and empathetic definition of masculinity. One of the men enrolled in his program was Ranjit. When I heard what happened to Ranjit's daughter I felt that I had found the narrative thread that would form the spine of my film on masculinity. It wasn't until the edit, and a few years into the edit that we realized we had to abandon the original film and give Ranjit and his family their own movie. It was the best decision we could have made. For me, the most wonderful thing about this film is that I felt I finally became a director. I know that we had something special and I wasn't going to stop until the film was the best it could be. I was fortunate to have the support of an incredible group of people who went on the journey with me. 

The film has won several awards, received praise from industry heavyweights like Deepa Mehta and Mindy Kaling, and deals with the incredibly sensitive and traumatic subject of rape. What has the response been like following its premiere across Canada in February?
I know that our screening on February 9th where Deepa Mehta moderated the post-screening discussion was fantastic. The audience was so engaged and so warm. That's generally been the response we get at screenings. People are deeply moved by the story of Ranjit and his daughter. I know that it's a tough subject but in the end, what people realize is that this is really a film about love — the love of a father for his child and the strength that people can find within themselves even in the most adverse situations. I think what Ranjit reminds us all is that justice, peace and freedom from violence are our natural birthright and worth fighting for. 

What other projects are you working on that you can tell us about?
Key for me is to finish the film that I started all those years ago — the film on masculinity. So that's first on the list. I'm also exploring other ideas including a film about children. After so many years of working on gender and violence against women, I feel the need to be around beauty and innocence and tiny beings that can feel and inspire awe. 

What advice do you have for Didis looking to pursue a career in documentary filmmaking?
Welcome. It's an incredible industry filled with good people. Doc filmmakers and the doc industry tend to be made up of lovely humans. Just know however that this path is not for the faint of heart. It's very hard work and the rewards are felt more than seen. You have to really want to do this and I believe the key is a love and fascination for people. I also think you have to be driven by questions. Ultimately all films are really about the people who make them. It will be your desire to understand something that will determine the outcome of the film. 

What we're reading:

Velma, its backlash, and how South Asian women are represented on TV 

Sakeina Syed's op-ed in Teen Vogue titled, On "Velma," Mindy Kaling, and whether brown girls can ever like ourselves on TV

How 'RRR' created the most rollicking movie scene of the year in the Wall Street Journal 

What we're watching/listening to:

Production underway on Vivek Shraya's How to Fail as a Popstar as it's being turned into a eight-episode limited series on CBC Gem

Alisha Sawhney's new history podcast, Lost Voices: An Untold Story of the South Asian Diaspora 

Tiana Jayatunga's reel on Brown Representation in Media

Drag superstar Priyanka signs a deal with Bell Media to develop original premium content, and to join ETALK as a special contributor 

Priyanka is also hosting Escape: Priyanka's Iconic Wonderland at Palais Royale Toronto on March 24 

— Nikkjit Gill

Issue 61
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