The pandemic was truly a life-changing experience for many of us, but for some, it was also a nightmare. Yes, at the start of the lockdown we came across many cases of domestic violence and reflecting upon that very issue, filmmaker Sonya V. Kapoor and her partner Amrita Mendonza produced a short film under the M5 Entertainment banner called Ek Chup. The film stars Mona Singh, who we last saw in Laal Singh Chaddha, in the lead role and talks about the mental and physical abuse her character goes through during the onset of the pandemic.
Check out the film’s poster here:
I saw the film some time ago, it was quite moving, and when I spoke to Mona and Sonya about it, their views on the issue were quite enlightening. Sharing how her frame of mind was when she worked on this film Mona said,
There have been a few friends of mine who have told me about their issues at home, and every time my take was that why didn’t they do something about it. But it’s easier said than done. After listening to these stories I could internalize and the way Sonya has written it is beautiful. I am a very instinctive actor, I follow orders too, so for me it was a beautiful experience to be a part of it.
Sonya also shared how she dealt with the topic keeping the Indian sensibilities in mind. She said…
Even today when these women go through it and they cannot do anything about it is because they are dictated by the universe around them. So I had to keep it real and natural, I had to give her a unique path. I didn’t want to make it stereotypical or have an easy way out. For me sticking to the truth was very important.
Both Mona and Sonya also spoke about the toxicity in modern relationships, Mona said,
Everybody has an individual journey, I think, there comes a point in your life where at any given moment you have the power to decide how your story is going to end and take a stand. In the film too, Dr Radhika tells her daughter what she has learnt from her mother. You have to draw the line from the very start, otherwise, the person will start taking advantage. Domestic abuse is not just slapping at home, it is also in public when you are being disrespected.
To this, Sonya adds...
Physical abuse is just one part, mental abuse is at the core. I have seen successful men whose public persona is different from what they are in the bedroom. They just gaslight you.
Ek Chup is yet to have a release date and an OTT platform, but I am sure when the film releases it will leave a lot of people thinking.