Bolstering damsel in destress

Free-spirited, loud, bold, humble, and sensitive are adjectives that define Pooja Batura Pathak. She was not always a film-maker and wanted to be an architect first. She even cleared the entrance exam but opted out after learning that architecture involved a lot of study. Before getting behind the camera for her compelling short movie Bol, Pooja was a producer, assistant producer, anchor-cum-director at various media channels. So how did this sudden shift in her career occur? She shares, “Life has been a roller-coaster ride. I cannot sit idle. I wanted to pursue architecture but that didn’t happen. So after giving my Class XII exams, I told my parents that I wanted to work and suddenly started teaching at a local primary school. I worked there for two months and got my first salary of Rs 1,200! Then I shifted my path and joined the Radisson Group as a part-time telemarketer.” She then enrolled in a Delhi University College and started pursuing mass communication from a polytechnic as well. “I would go to college, come home for lunch and then run off for the part-time job at Radisson Blu. Then, it was home tuitions for students in the evening. It’s not like I needed any money as I am from a well-to-do family. But I always wanted to be independent. I’ll let you in a little secret... not many know that I flunked Class XII. During that one gap year, I had time to reflect on life. Luckily, I learnt that time was precious.”

Due to her passion, patience, and perseverance, Pooja was soon offered an internship with one of the media houses and after many positive twists and turns, destiny brought her to Mumbai where she worked with the renowned Prana Studios on two major Hollywood projects as production manager, heading a team of 40. Apart from that, Pooja also worked on Bollywood projects like War Chod Na Yaar, along with her husband Lov Pathak.    

The captivating message-based anti-sexual abuse movie, she feels came about because, “of the heart-wrenching Delhi gang-rape incident which shook the nation. I was shell-shocked. It could have been you, me or anyone. How crass have we become as humans and as a society? After having endless conversations with my husband, who is a producer, he suggested that if I was feeling so much chaos inside, I should write about it and I did. Also, I felt so angered by the entire inhumane incident that I decided to take the help of the lens to express my inner pandemonium.” But since she didn’t have enough funding she approached Humaramovies.com, an independent, on-demand channel for experts, that generates short-form content with India as a focus.

“After hearing my script, they gave me the green signal. The whole movie is in black-and-white and has no dialogues. It depicts abuse that Indian women suffer at every stage of their lives. While the abuse continues through education and career, women are taught to suffer in silence. The film also addresses homosexual abuse, an issue that’s largely ignored in conversations surrounding sexual violence. I wanted to make an impact without a single word and encourage women to speak out about sexual abuse. I was having sleepless nights thinking about the horrific Delhi incident and wanted to put something out into the universe which would make a difference.

“I also kept thinking how as a woman, I could show this world how ‘we’ feel when we are at the receiving end of such abuse. Statistics from India show that a woman is sexually assaulted every three minutes and raped every 20 minutes. While most women shy away or fear their perpetrators, I wanted every man to watch the film and know what a woman goes through. For them, it is just an incident but for us, it ruins the way we look at life. I want women to speak against this evil. The more you talk, the less, it will happen,” she says. This is Pooja’s first short film and after narrating the concept and script, the actors also joined her cause and worked without remuneration.

Many characters are her friends, and the man who molests the young child in the beginning of the film was portrayed by her husband.

Her video has been featured on several international websites now.

What next? “I am planning to do another strong, subject-based short movie. I want to showcase ‘life after rape.’ I am currently researching and I want to change the outlook of society on rape victims and their lives. My family and friends have been supportive and I am blessed to have them around me, understanding my urge to showcase these untouched subjects.

“And with whatever means and media I can afford, I will continue on my journey as a film-maker to show the truth and harsh realities of life.”