Rohena Gera: Holding hands and walking with 81 women in solidarity was a historic moment

She has penned the story of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan-Abhishek Bachchan-starrer 'Kuch Naa Kaho' (2003) and the screenplay for 'Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic' (2008), featuring Rani Mukerji and Saif Ali Khan. And this year, Rohena Gera has showcased her directorial debut, 'Sir', at the Cannes Film Festival. Selected from among thousands of entries in the Critics’ Week section, her film is in contention for the Camera D’or, an award designated for the best first feature film presented in one of the Cannes’ Selections (Official Selection, Directors’ Fortnight or International Critics’ Week).
Rohena was also among the 82 women, who climbed the steps of the Palais des Festivals in a never-before-seen red carpet protest for gender equality in the film industry.Reliving the experience of sharing the moment with artistes like Salma Hayek, Jane Fonda, Patty Jenkins, Agnes Varda, Cate Blanchett, Kristen Stewart, Ava DuVernay, Lea Seydoux and Khadja Nin, Rohena said, “It was my first day in Cannes and my first time ever on the red carpet. Holding hands and walking with 81 women in solidarity was a historic moment. The way it was done was also fantastic and visual. People didn’t walk on the red carpet and pose for the photographers. We walked in rows of 10 like the army. We climbed the steps, stopped halfway and turned half around, symbolising that you can climb, but only so far. The number of women who participated was also significant, as this year, there are only 82 women in the official selection as opposed to 1,545 men. When they said, ‘Let’s climb’, everyone had tears in their eyes. We then turned around and walked up.”
About why she chose to make a film ('Sir') with a domestic help as the protagonist, Rohena said, “I grew up in India with a live-in help. I was emotionally attached to her and I wanted her to be always around. Yet, she was not part of the family. I struggled with the fact that there was discrimination. They couldn’t sit on the sofa or use the cutlery used by the family. These things bothered me. We don’t even question this segregation. In my film, I dealt with this disparity through a love story, because it pits two persons as equals. I didn’t want to make it the story of a victim, because she is not one. When you love someone, you are more likely to see the world from their point of view. Also, I feel that because domestic help is easily available and you don’t end up paying them a huge remuneration, they aren’t respected as they deserve to be. In the West, it is considered to be like any other job.”
So, how did she make the switch from writing scripts for mainstream Bollywood to Cannes, where films are essentially considered to be art house? Rohena replied, “It’s taken me a long time to find my own voice. It’s not fully arthouse and it’s not fully Bollywood and commercial. I enjoyed myself when I worked on Bollywood scripts, but it’s not entirely my sensibility. Sir is somewhere in between. Though a love story, it raises important questions. It’s been done in such a way that it’s accessible.”