Shuchi Talati’s directorial debut, Girls Will Be Girls, is streaming on Prime Video after creating a flutter across film festivals. The coming-of-age story has been praised by critics and audiences as one of the best films of the year. Amid this high praise, the filmmaker talks exclusively with HT about the reception, the film’s genesis, and her intent. (Also read: Girls Will Be Girls review: Kani Kusruti and Preeti Panigrahi shine in Shuchi Talati’s sensitive coming-of-age drama)
Girls Will Be Girls is the story of Mira, a 90s’ schoolgirl battling how to divide time between adacemics and her first love, while dealing with a complicated bond with her mother. Talking about how the story began, Shuchi says, “The idea came from the idea of school, and not just mine but every school that we all recognise with. This kind of policing that you experience as a teenager, especially for girls, is a universal experience. I think I had a sense of anger and rebellion against those years. That was the first seed.”
‘Wanted to avoid judgement’
Shuchi says that she remembers the slut-shaming that girls endured just for being in a relationship in school, something she wanted to avoid in her film. “Back then, there was such a slut-shaming attitude that we had towards girls who had boyfriends. Around class XI, I had a boyfriend, and I hid him from everyone, including my best friend, because I didn’t want the same kind of judgement to come my way. So, it was important for me to tell a story about that first romance and desire and not have that kind of judgement and shaming towards the lead character in the storytelling,” she explains.
Why is the film set in the 90s
This was one of the reasons she set the story in the 90s, the first few years after liberalisation when youngsters and parents had new avenues to flaunt. The other one was a hark back to ‘simpler times’. Shuchi explains, “As a storyteller, I like not having social media and phones and the ease of communication if you had a crush on someone. A 90s kid had to do this elaborate song-and-dance where you’d call on a landline, and your mom could hear the conversation on the other phone. I really enjoy that drama.”
Shuchi agrees that setting the story today would be tougher as modernity is more readily embraced now, even on women. “Back then, modernity meant that a woman is being corrupted,” she says.
On rise of independent cinema
The filmmaker is happy that streaming has given her film the space and audience it may not have found in theatres. Talking about the rise of independent cinema in India, she says, “We are seeing that there is space for independent cinema and an audience is ready for it. They are coming together, which is amazing. Our film is a small film but the word-of-mouth buzz has been unbelievable. I am enjoying it even though I am a little in shock.”
Starring Preeti Panigrahi, Kani Kusruti, and Kesav Binoy Kiron, Girls Will Be Girls is co-produced by Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal. The film is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
