Ghungru

The lived reality of Indian housewives is often constituted by little to no worth of their emotional and physical labour towards the household. The inherent demand of them by society is also to often snuff out any dreams they may have harboured in the face of the will, needs and decisions of their family members, primarily the husband or the patriarch. The short film is an exploration of the same line of thought, taking the viewer into the life of a Marathi housewife ahead of the grand annual celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi.

However, the expression of the narrative's concern is not done in an overly-sentimental or hackneyed manner. Instead, it intelligently ties it all together with a dance competition the protagonist wants to participate in, while keeping it all a secret from her husband. In a familial space and marriage where asking her husband for some money requires her to muster all her courage and truly justify and explain all the reasons behind it, a woman choosing to finally accept and embrace an activity that gives her happiness, is indeed an important and much-needed comment to be made.

Additionally, there is an engagement with the idea of how women can empower one another, as well as the confidence, strength, peace and above all, liberation, one can find in an activity that they sincerely love.