Runtime: 56 minutes
Genre: Social Commentary
Film Language: Hindi, Garhwali
Director: PUSHPA RAWAT AND ANUPAMA SRINIVASAN
Editor: ANUPAMA SRINIVASAN
Where to watch: PSBT
A movie one of its kind, directed by Pushpa Rawat, co-directed and edited by Anupama Srinivasan. Nirnay (decision) explores the lives of young women- who are bright, educated and talented but are often bound to society's stigma when it comes to a woman making decisions for herself. This film is Pushpa Rawat's personal journey and is also her first film. Nirnay is a journey of different women and the variations in their lives in the span of three years. The film has very well captured them in their daily lives and essence of existence, where a sense of regret still prevails when they question the society for taking their 'Nirnay' when it was not required.
One can often find unsteady shots which seem weird in the beginning but as the film proceeds, Rawat does a conclusive job. It is indeed a journey of Pushpa Rawat finding a voice through the language of her Handycam. Anupama Srinivasan nudges the structure in to drive this point. Truly a movie made on the editor's desk, Nirnay was initially 40 hours long footage shot on a Handycam later cut to a feature film of 56 minutes. It's a poignant documentary where Rawat has filmed her life, her family, her women friends, the young man she was unable to marry (Sunil) and his family. The movie's candid and versatile narration have shown the story in the most organic form, which at some points bring confusion and human emotions altogether. Rawat also says that they didn't have any script and never re-shot any scene. With the opening scene, Rawat introduces her brother and mother who are often agitated and deny answer to Rawat's questions. The next character is Rawat's father, who is confronted with questions related to her marriage to which he austerely answers and talks about "different castes" being a reason why she couldn't marry the man she loved.
Among the protagonists is Lata, who wants to be a singer, Vinita, who is Sunil's wife and many more women whose stories demand to be heard through the little character sketches they get from their interview segments.
The film is also about how girls in their early twenties let their dreams die under societal pressure- which forces their families to get them married soon. Lata, a girl who wanted to compete with her B.Ed. degree still finds it difficult and unsafe to visit the market alone. Lata says as a teenage girl she wasn't supposed to go out alone and invincibly says 'why do we have to depend on others to fulfil our dreams'. Nirnay also largely highlights issues like female feticide. At several points, these young women break down in front of the camera and talk about how freedom never really touched their lives and they have now been trapped in the ceaseless cycle of making their families as well as their in-laws happy.
Rawat’s interviews with Sunil and his family are some of the most harrowing scenes. She uses her access to ask uncomfortable questions about choice, personal freedom, happiness and compromise. One can infer from this point that how the decision not to marry Rawat was one-sided and Sunil did it under family pressure. Sunil disturbingly also recalls how childhood was the best phase because one didn't know anything about serious, life-changing situations. The question of choices looms large over all the characters as Pushpa Rawat’s relentless questioning brings about a rawness in expression out of subjugated people. Most of them never had a voice, now when they can speak up, they are unsure how to. The interviewer’s unique position in their lives’ also brings about the unique content of the film.
Exhaustively, Nirnay covers some of the most difficult issues that are still closed to 'society's norms'. One cardinal issue that this film raises is how a child as an investment is seen and how 'nature of sacrifice' comes in. There's a constant pressure from parents to make their children take up certain subject stream, job and then even marry someone of their choice and how parents' sacrificing nature drives it. One can see the investment and expectations while they nurture their children.
The most important question looms large over the film’s end. The awkward silence is filled by the voice of another, who is destined to be silent to the outer world, but sings in her own closed spaces. ‘Yeh kaisi paheli zindagani' ( what kind of riddle is life), she sings.