The short film introduces the viewer to a queer woman and the manner in which her sexuality has come to define both her private and professional life. The title, in the process, becomes a clear assertion of the hope of attaining a regular life milestone, but one which the normative order of society threatens to deny her. A photographer by profession, Monisha Ajgaonkar is at her candid best as she allows her most vulnerable moments to unfold before the lens, lending the film a notable poignancy. It would have, however, been interesting and more enriching for the film to have explored it further. On the whole, it remains a resounding story, marked by a skilled visual narrative, about an experience all too common in a world that still continues to silence or push aside any gender or sexual identity that endeavours to break away from heteronormativity. In such a scenario, the film does its bit to start and encourage an important conversation.

I Will Also Be Married | Short Film Nominee

Indian society's relationship with menstruation and the female body is oppressive and disconcerting, to say the least. The idea of 'pure' and 'impure' is so intricately tied with a perfectly natural and normal biological process like menstruation that it leads to orthodox, conservative and deeply problematic practices. The school drop-out rate of girls in rural areas after they start menstruating is an index and direct reflection of the same issue. The short film is an engagement with these concerns, hitting the nail on the head right away regarding a very pertinent social message. It wastes no time in getting to the heart of things as it brings to life a reality where a young woman goes against her village to ensure education of the girl child. Daughter of the village head, she begins her fight at home, first endeavoring to change the mindset of those closest to her. The premise of the film is not unique, it is after all about a reality we are all too familiar with, leaving little room for novelty. However, it goes a step ahead to offer a solution to this malpractice by coherently and lucidly addressing the misconceptions and hypocrisy of a set of people who invoke the goddesses' name at every step, and yet, deny basic rights and facilities to the girls and women in their own families. By presenting forth all of these concerns, the film questions the marginalization of an entire set of people, the women and girls who make up half of the population, and urges the viewer to question and correct their own obsolete, unfair practices and beliefs.

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