IFFK '18: Nandita Das is all praise for the Kerala audience

For actress and filmmaker Nandita Das, the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) was a medium to interact with likeminded people and also to cherish her love for Kerala audience. Nandita, who was the guest of honour at this year’s IFFK, talked about her films and her ideologies at the ‘In Conversation’ segment held in association with the film fest at Tagore Theatre premises.

Speaking to writer Meena T Pillai, the actress talked about her latest movie Manto that chronicles the life of Saadat Hassan Manto. She also said, “I firmly believe that the audience here are the best in the world. I have been at the fest before with my film Fire and now I am screening Manto here."

The actress known for her bold ideologies also shared her viewpoints on the "Dark is Beautiful" campaign which she was part of. On her views on women participation in cinema with the context of Women in Cinema Collective, Nandita welcomed it as a ‘courageous stand’ and expressed her solidarity with them. “In this 21st century too, we are talking on women’s equal rights. It’s not a man vs woman fight. We are fighting against the patriarchy and not the men. If men too want to become part of it, then it would look better. In filmmaking, the dynamic of the set is different when there are more women around. So men do not need to get threatened and we all can make a better world together,” says Nandita.

Sharing her thoughts on menstruation, she adds it should be considered as natural as giving birth to a child. “Now in this era if one is saying that women in that age are polluting and if that is the word associated with menstruation then I think it is really sad being a women and disrespectful,” concludes Nandita.