By Kavita A Chhibber
He grew up watching legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan conquer the reel world, while garnering respect and continuous accolades in the real world. But for Sandesh Sharda, a successful business entrepreneur and philanthropist, the world of cinema and entertainment was a magical world, full of glitter but far beyond his line of work.
Until his world collided with that of Trupti Bhoir and her project “Paro: The Untold Story of Bride Slavery.” Sandesh Sharda met Trupti’ through Priya Samant Parulekar, and Trupti showed him the camera footage of secretly taped conversations with these women.
After struggling and managing funding, the film was about to go on the floor and then everything collapsed and funding was withdrawn.
“I did not know about the Paro women, until I got on that Zoom call with Trupti who told me about the plight of these women called Paro who were repeatedly sold as bride slaves and had no status in society.”
“It deeply touched my heart. I felt that if I have to use my money for a good cause, I must associate with someone who is genuine, sincere in their effort to create change. And Trupti is a really good human being who thinks with her heart. Making a film was a great idea because it’s a very powerful medium to give an important message.”
“I felt a connection with Trupti and the story of Paro and instantly decided to fund the movie.”
Sandesh Sharda went to the sets with his team and watched the shooting in bits and pieces for about 15 days. He saw the real Paro women from a distance but did not approach them, so as not to disrupt things. But for a man who thought the film world was like any another. But getting involved with Paro was an eye opener.
Sandesh Sharda says he grew up in a world where most films were silver jubilee hits. Today the numbers are over hyped and there is only a 5 percent success rate.
“It is a very different, tough world. When you enter and learn the nitty gritty offilm making, see how many multiple retakes and cuts it takes, hours to shoot even a two minute scene and how many crew members there are doing different things to bring it all together you realize that it is tough business. It takes months to shoot the film and even longer to edit, and then selling a film like Paro is not easy. I would say that it all looks good from afar, but but it is far from good, when it you touch a controversial subject and the dark reality of bride slavery.”
His intent to produce Paro was not to make money, because he knew stark, serious social issues are not a profit making venture. Sandesh Sharda wanted to support a social cause, where even after India’s independence, young girls from the ages of eight, were being sold and resold in marriage multiple times.
“I felt this investment is for a worthy cause, and that is a reward in itself. Cinema is a very powerful visual medium for a wider audience to show that these kind of practices are still happening in India, and frankly around the world. We call ourself progressive and count ourselves amongst the top three or fourth largest emerging economies in the world, but we have this heartbreaking practice in our own backyard.”
Paro women fall by the cracks because bride slavery and human trafficking are illegal. So they are not part of the statistics or census.
“How can you integrate an entire community into society when they are burdened with the stigma of being a Paro and have no legal status or identity?”
When the movie was completed, Sandesh Sharda rented a theater, and invited close friends and colleagues to the private screening to get a feedback. “To see the film in its entirety was so moving. I don’t know what happened, but I got up and hugged Taha Shah Badussha ( the lead actor) and cried.
When you see the film, you will know why. Sharda feels this film needs an OTT/streaming platform because the story is a universal story world wide, just called by different names. But often such stories get stuck with the Indian censor board because they ruffle feathers and seem to show India in a poor light.
“Santosh” is one film that is an example. This award winning film has finally been released in the USA but is still stuck in India because of the censor board.
“If we are to find solutions, the first thing is that we must have the courage to acknowledge that the practices of Paro, prostitution, escort services exist.”
“There are countries like Netherlands that have legalized prostitution, provided health care to these women, and treated it like a profession where these women pay taxes and are given a legal status in society.”
India and Brazil are rated as the two top nations where 53 percent population in a self survey admitted to extra marital affairs.
“You will be surprised to know that in Madhya Pradesh, there are contractual marriages. Those can last from one day to many months. Many government officials are involved. And the contract is voided after it runs it’s course. Brides are bought as per the contract for money. And this practice is still there today.”
Most young Paros come from poor, illiterate families and the fact that often parents are duped into thinking, their daughter is being legally married, and they won’t have to pay dowry or pay for the wedding with their meager earnings, is a key reason why the parents agree to these marriages.
In other instances these girls are kidnapped or lured by a pimp into a love affair or promises of better employment opportunities and sold.
Recognizing the problem, says Sandesh Sharda, is the first step to funding a solution.
“The moment the government acknowledged that the film industry is a business, the Mafia was stopped from the practices of Hawala, because the Indian film industry was given the identity they needed, to raise capital the right way.”
“A movie like Paro which should be applauded and seen by everyone, is still looking for a buyer and waiting for the censor board to give it a certificate.
It’s also strange that many educated and generally socially conscious people, among my friends, were hesitant to come and watch the film because it is a real and (of course) a serious topic. Then how can you help?
A film like this must be supported both by the people and especially the government.
The government has to recognize the plight of these women and acknowledge they exist, give them a legal status and identity.”
The apathy of the media, says Sandesh Sharda is understandable. “If a local journalist was to write about it, he will be thrown out of the publication or channel and his work will never see the light of day. And that’s why you have to turn to BBC or Al Jazeera as Trupti did, to first hear about this practice.”
Even Trupti’s secret interviews with these women were not through the authorities but through an NGO.
Forming committees and having discussions is not going to solve the problem, says Sandesh Sharda, because that’s like kicking a football back and forth, with literally no “goal” in sight.
“We’ve been doing this for 70 years and the time has come to take concrete steps.”
Sandesh Sharda also does not want films that deal with important social causes to be put in the same categories as commercial films made by big production houses, even in film festivals.
Sandesh Sharda firmly believes that there must be a separate category to highlight these important films and to make them financially viable through a fund and wider releases.
“It is very important that small producers can recoup their money, and continue to have the courage and support, so they continue to bring important social issues to light and we must all participate to become a part of the solution. I’m willing to help in whatever way I can to support these film makers and their work.
Otherwise many film makers will give up and do the safe thing of making films that don’t make them lose their shirt.”
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