'A woman centric film needn't be grave and heavy. Women can make people laugh too'

Kavita Kaushik has joined the ‘rare’ league of Punjabi actresses who lead the film as protagonists in an industry often accused of being heavily male dominated
It is countdown to International Women's Day and Punjabi cinema is heralding it this year with a fresh offering. The industry is writing a new chapter for female actors with a script that shifts the paradigm by not just having a woman as protagonist, but also by, 1) being entertaining, 2) by getting the comic element from the woman, and 3) defying age old ritual of Punjabi male actors shouldering the onus of producing laughs.Kavita Kaushik's next, Mindo Taseeldarni is only the third film in the last decade, and more, to lead with a woman in charge of the show, after Needhi Singh, Gelo and Channo. However, unlike its predecessors, this film is attempting to take the road less travelled by keeping the script light and entertaining. We speak to Kavita, the erstwhile Inspector Chandramukhi Chautala of F.I.R, who tells us that this film won't ride on Chautala's dabangiyat, to send across its message.
Mindo seems to be going where no other Punjabi film has gone before, by leading with a woman protagonist in its very title, and that too by giving it a comic spin.
For filmmakers, it comes easy when you get into a pattern, when you understand what your audiences want. If they give them a nice masaleydar comedy, which is a typical family drama, with comedy of errors, has a shaadi wala ghar, around which the whole family- the mamma, foofad, etc revolve. Lot of people will go and watch it because it is sure shot formula to succeed. I believe, people who are only onto money, they adopt this, which I am not condemning as bad. After all, we all work to earn money. But, how much money is enough for you? Somewhere you also have to take in the fact that we are artists who have the responsibility that we should give audience more variety of stories, apart from one shaadi ka ghar and going to the US. And Punjab has so many stories. I am not saying that, make horror or historical stories, because those genres no one is even touching here. But even as a family drama there are so many different levels. No filmmaker wants to take risks and try something beyond the fact that only men will do comedy.
But you are only two films old in Punjabi, yet you are taking this risk?
My main objective of living is not just money. I am a very small part of Punjabi industry, so for me it's a very big gamble. What is easier for me is being part of projects which even if they don't become superhits, are paisa vasool. But, in life I have never taken the easy route. And if I do roles which someone else can also do, then what is my specialty? At this stage of my career, when I have given substantial work on TV too, I can't do the same things. As an artist I like to give different flavours to audience, not just now, but even after I am gone.
Usually women led scripts are considered grave and serious…
So, that is why this industry has very few directors like Avtar Singh who has taken this risk. Stories that have women don't mean mindless comedies, kahani aur bhi ho sakti hai. Women can also contribute a lot to the script. It's not like if she is a Tehseeldarni, she is only strict and boring. But, while being entertaining, the film is also very inspiring for women of Punjab, and especially for small town women. Mindo is a typical Punjabi girl, she is homely, has principles, but she carries herself with authority when she gets into her work profile, just like most modern girls would do.
Does she have shades of Chautala?
Mindo is a typical Tehseeldarni, like how the women in these kind of services are. Chautala's dabangiyat is seen in her work but as a woman, when she is at home, she is a chulbuli girl.