'Wonder Women' director Anjali Menon: 'We should recognise our potential beyond gender'

You would think that pregnancy would be the entry point for the understanding and preparation, etc., for a film set in a prenatal centre. But for me, with Mini, it was more about Mini's lived experience — what got her here, what was her past, why is she the way she is. That she is pregnant, what the child means to her and what choices she has made to get here, those things are extremely important, too. Mini is very meticulous. She needs to know enough to know what would happen if things go wrong. She is a single parent and information is her armour so nothing blindsides her. For unpartnered people, this can be very relatable. It is a wonderful thing to be partnered and it can also be wonderful to be unpartnered. I can relax into being an unpartnered Mini in a certain way which is different from someone who can share adult responsibilities with a partner. So, I needed to settle into what her every day looks like.

Anjali and you have a long association. What is it like working with her?

Working with her is always a distinct experience. She is extremely sensitive and kind. She has clarity and runs her set very well. I have worked with various kinds of directors and never had a terrible experience, but the sensitivity factor is very different when it comes to Anjali. Since Bangalore Days (2014), she is also a very dear friend. So, it’s the doubling of a safe space feeling.

What determines your film choices, Parvathy?

When a director or writer wants to create this fictional world, which becomes a relatable journey for the audience hopefully, there ought to be a purity of intention with which they write it. Before knowing if you want to do the character, or the money or dates, first your gut will tell you if you are aligned with this intention of the maker. There are filmmakers I wanted to work with, but the story they wanted to tell at the time just didn’t align with me. Not because the story was not good, but because I was not in that space in my life at that time. You have to be in touch with your purity of intention to know if you relate to this maker and what she or he wants to make. All your intentions have to align — your financial intentions, artistic expression, where you want to find yourself as an actor, the co-actors you are working with, the desire to collaborate with certain people, the story. This is what leads to my choices.

You have been a vocal advocate for gender equality and spoken up against misogyny. Do the films or characters your take on have to reflect your ideology in some way?

The movie, in its entirety, has to reflect reality without glorifying misogyny. I could be playing an absolute misogynist in the film myself, as long as the film itself isn't glorifying it. I am extremely okay with playing a part that is the extreme opposite of my beliefs. Misogynists exist. We are all conditioned a little and we are all constantly unlearning. So, when I read, I ask: was it your intention to have this impact when someone reads your screenplay? If it wasn't your intention then I would like to point out that it comes across that way and would you like to have a conversation with others about it? So, it becomes a collaborative meeting with the maker. But if they don't think their subject comes across like that and can justify it, and yet, it does come across like that to me then I have to decide where I stand. Sometimes, you take a leap of faith because you don't know what happens on the edit table or after your work is done. You are still the face of it and you have to sell it. Since you contributed to it, you also become a supporter of it, whether you like it or not. And then you must stand by and listen to those who will call out what is not working for them. The best thing is to listen to the audience feedback.

What are some of your forthcoming projects, Parvathy?

There are two films as a performer — one in Tamil, directed by Pa Ranjith, and one in Hindi. I am also working towards my directorial and, at some point, for a few months, I will pause being a performer and direct.

Director Anjali Menon (third from left) with some of her film's cast.

Anjali, how did you come up with the idea of setting a film in a prenatal centre? Did it give you an entry into exploring the themes you had in mind?

All-female spaces have a resonance and an energy which is very different from anything else I have experienced. It's strong, challenging and fulfilling. You are constantly pushed to think more, do more, react more and live more. I was thinking how interesting it would be to capture that kind of experience for a group of people who all have one collective goal and yet are pursuing their individual journey. Pregnancy seemed like a great metaphor because, at the end of day, we are all pregnant with ideas, hope, babies, things about the future and working towards a goal. Besides that, I have been interested in birthing and the processes involved. It’s ridiculous how ill-equipped we are in that area. Unlike animals, who work in a far more instinctive way, we humans seem to have locked that part of our brain and decided to be dependent on everything and everyone except our instinct.

A prenatal centre gave a beautiful way to explore these and other themes. We have also touched on friendship, individual growth, individual autonomy and identity, body wisdom and body rights. We have stepped away from the vital statistics body imaging seen on screen. Wonder Women has very normal people, and being pregnant frees them up in terms of body language.

What was it like working with this multicultural, multilingual cast?

It is important to see women from diverse cultural backgrounds coming together because, when it comes to pregnancy, there is a lot about cultural orientation here. You will see small touches of specific cultures that blend and an accepting of another's customs or a realisation of the things we have in common. The characters are composites, and once the character was written, then I thought of people who are normal, relatable and would be secure in this ensemble. These actors are super confident, secure women who want to be challenged, who want to get a bite out of their roles and are willing to play a part in an ensemble cast. I needed seven women who also had those real-life experiences while also being slightly different culturally, which brings more diversity.

Are you making a sociopolitical commentary, too, Anjali?

In terms of gender, I think it is high time we had equal spaces and equal opportunities for all, but we should also recognise our potential beyond gender which is given way too much precedence. When a baby is born, what is the first piece of information you are given? The child’s gender. But for what reason? Does it really matter what the gender of a newborn is? Does that information have any real relevance till puberty hits? My point of view is that all these practices have to be thought about, and it’s high time we abandoned the useless ones. Also, why do we treat people who are having babies as invalids who need to be treated? Why can't we be more instinctive, like animals, and on the top of our game?