'The World...' must be seen across India: Anurag Kashyap

Apr 23, 2014 IANS

Mumbai, April 23 (IANS) Acclaimed Bollywood filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who is presenting India-born Canadian filmmaker Nisha Pahuja's documentary "The World Before Her" in India, wishes that the film is watched across the country.

"There is so much it ('The World Before Her') says and it is very important that it is seen across the country. I wish it is also dubbed in various languages and seen across the country," Kashyap said here.

"This is one film that should be seen. It does not give you any answers, what it does is it poses a lot of questions, it questions your actions, how you think, how you look at the world.

"It does not give any solutions, but holds a very strong mirror to you. That's why feel of the film needs to come out. I hope it makes the same impact in the country as it has across the world because it is about our country, it is about us," he added.

The documentary explores the complex and conflicting environment for young girls in India by profiling two young women - Ruhi Singh, who aspires to become Miss India, and Prachi Trivedi, a militant Hindu nationalist with the Durga Vahini, participating in two very different types of training camps.

"After watching the documentary I was speechless and left thinking. It stayed with me for a long time. It changed a lot of things inside me," said Kashyap, known for his off-beat films like "Black Friday", "Shaitan" and "Gangs of Wasseypur".

"The film turned me into an anti-feminist... in the sense that the whole idea of gender fight is to empower you whereas men and women should just be," he added.

Written and directed by Pahuja, "The World Before Her" has been screened at several international film festivals including the Tribeca Film Festival (TFF) in 2012.

The documentary features former Miss India Pooja Chopra in a key role and it will hit Indian theatres in May.