Behind Closed Doors

From Nandita Das in Bhawandar to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Provoked,Mundhra’s protagonists have always been strong female characters. In this film too actors Chandra and Dutta have meaty roles. The film follows the lives of the two characters played by them,and the crisis that arises when they start sharing an apartment. Chandra,who plays a person suffering from bipolar disorder,completely overturns Dutta’s settled life,when she moves in with her,taking over not just her apartment,but also her live-in partner,played by Roy. “It is still very difficult,especially in Bollywood,to sell a woman-oriented film. On top of it,it’s a challenge to find a male lead for it. Not many male actors want to be part of such scripts,” says Mundhra. Roy,though,says he has no such qualms. “It’s a good story,” he shrugs.

Making women-centric films though,Mundhra says,has been a choice he has made willingly. “My films deal with conflicts,both internal and external. While the external deals with a good versus evil plot,the internal is more intricate. I feel no one can portray that better than women. As members of a male-dominated society,they already have to cross a lot of hurdles in their lives,and hence,such experiences make for exciting screenplays,” he states.

The film has already generated some controversy owing to Chandra’s reported nude scenes,but the director shrugs it off. “Cinema revolves around the suspension of disbelief. If you’re having a shower,you are bound to take off your clothes,and even though everyone knows it’s faked,as a director my job is to make it look as real as possible. Sex sells and I am not going to apologise for it,” says Mundhra.