‘Every woman can relate to Fearless’

There is something fearful about Nishanti Evani’s short film, Fearless. Caught in the middle of a riot, a woman starts to judge the man’s intention, who had earlier protected her when the chaos was unleashed. Stuck in the restricted confines of a toilet, she then fears for her life when a misconception arises.

And the director of the film can relate to that fear, because a similar event had taken place in her life a few years ago. Born in Eluru, Nishanti is best-known for her Telugu film, Life Before Wedding (2010), but not many are aware of the incident that helped shape Fearless, a short film that has been garnering rave reviews since its premier earlier this month.“I was studying in M.O.P. Vaishnav College for Women, Chennai, when my friend and I were caught in the riots one afternoon. We requested the owner of a shoe shop, who was pulling down the shutters, to let us in,” she says.

“It was a very small shop and the moment we stepped foot inside, we were horrified,” reminisces Nishanti, who felt she was out of the frying pan into the fire the moment she stepped foot inside the dingy little shop. “There were already few men inside; we, on the other hand, didn’t want to step outside for obvious reasons but were even more uncomfortable staying indoors.”

Even though the men were up to no mischief, Nishanti claims that was one of the strangest moments of her life, one that left her feeling ashamed. “They didn’t hurt us, but our preconceived fear directed our attitude and we immediately assumed that they were rapists or murderers. And in the present day scenario, this is an aspect that every woman can relate to and one that is highlighted in Fearless.

“I remember when I used to live in Hyderabad, during my walk from home to the gym, I would cross KBR Park where men would try to grab me. And it’s because of such instances taking place on an every day basis that we have begun to assume the worst in every person and it’s tragic that we can’t be as humane as we should be because there are good people too,” she says.

The 13-minute film premiered in Mumbai, a city she moved to last year to pursue her passion for independent cinema. “I haven’t shifted base. Stories can be told from anywhere in the world. I used to write scripts even when I was in Hyderabad. But Mumbai has more opportunities for the kind of work I want to do,” says Nishanti, whose focus has now shifted to direction.

Till date she has worked on four short films, two of which have released. Her first short film, Chinnari Atithi (The Little Guest), which released a few years ago, was also about a social cause. The film narrates the story of a little boy from AP who is brought from the village to the city to work as domestic help.

“More than acting, I am passionate about direction. Fearless stars Pramod Sanghi — my good friend who I know from Hyderabad and it was in his studio in Mumbai where we also shot the film. There was also Shaanti. It was an amazing experience to see and work with such talented actors,” says Nishanti. The film was shot in three days and produced by Rockstar Studios. “The outdoor shoot took place at a Powai slum in Mumbai. It was a challenge because all the children were at home and the moment they saw us they started following us,” she says.

Nishanti now plans to submit the films at international fests. “I have two more short films, My Name is Pyaar and Dilemma, that I am focusing on to release next," she says.