Pooja Bhatt: “You don’t have to be a woman to tell a woman’s story; Sanaa proves the same”

“Sanaa proves you don’t have to be a woman to tell a woman’s story. Empathy is not a female privilege’’ said actor Pooja Bhatt. She was speaking at a Press Conference held on the sidelines of the 54^th International Film Festival of India in Goa today. Her film Sanaa is among the 3 Indian films that will compete with 12 others for the prestigious Golden Peacock at the 54^th IFFI. Its story revolves around an ambitious woman grappling with internal battle that is rooted from unhealed trauma. Bhatt also expressed that it is essential to have a dialogue on important issues such as abortion. She thanked the Government of India for its efforts to ensure women’s safety, empowering them to take decisions that matter to them, and further added that the same should be celebrated.

Sanaa is directed by National Award-winning Director, Sudhanshu Saria. Speaking at length about his idea and approach towards making the film, Saria said, “I wanted to go more into an amorphous zone and delve into the matters of jealousy, class and desire. Those things were far more potent. It was a mixture of 3 or 4 things going on, it was about people being selfish, inappropriate relationships at work, and not having a healthy understanding of self.” Speaking about his working style, Saria said that the cast and crew worked in sync. “The best job a director can do is to direct oneself while empowering others to work at their fullest potential”, Said Saria.

Other members of the cast who were present for the briefing included Radhika Madan and Nikhil Khurana who also shared their experience about working in the film. The lead actress Radhika Madan who played the role of Sanaa shared her experience in discerning the different layers of the character.  She expressed how the film portrays Sanaa as a grey character and how it is a relatable character for many.