A fictional interpretation of a real story,Teen Behenein,shows how dowry pressures drove three Kanpur sisters to kill themselves Lata is writing a final letter to her parents while her teenage sister,Urmila,moves around the house closing the windows one by one; in the kitchen,another sister,Nisha,is standing on a chair,putting the final touches to three nooses. Papa,your humiliation about dowry will end, writes Lata,Mummy,isnt it better that instead of dying everyday,to end it all at once? In a few minutes,it would all be over for the sisters. But,suddenly,they find out that their aunt wants to pay them a surprise visit,and the girls decide to postpone their deaths by several hours. This is a scene from the film,Teen Behenein,in which Lata,Nisha and Urmila capture that grim day in 1988 when three sisters committed suicide in Kanpur to ease the burden of dowry on their parents. The following years have witnessed many such instances across India. With Teen Behenein,Bollywood filmmaker Kundan Shah takes a break from his staple Bollywood comedies like Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron,to present a disturbing tragedy . Produced by Zee Telefilms and not released on the big screen for various reasons for six years,the film is currently being screened at various educational institutions in Delhi. A public screening will take place at India Habitat Centre on October 23. The Kanpur suicides were a starting point for the film. Everything else is based on the imagination of the filmmaker. So we call this film a docu-drama,not documentary, says Shekhar Hattangadi,the Chief Associate Director of the two-hour-long film. A morbid storyline has been bolstered by a stark cinematic treatment the rooms,for instance,seem to close in on the sisters enhancing their conversations about maut ka saya. Flashbacks,too,have been done away with,forcing the audience to look at the world through the girls own despairing eyes. Flashbacks are the easiest tool for a filmmaker but we preferred to tell,not show. Past events are recounted by the characters,not filmed as flashback, says Hattangadi. To increase the sense of loss even deeper,the film underlines the fact that the girls are educated,with Lata being a postgraduate in literature. The only relief comes in the form of songs,to which,the sisters dance on the terrace and tease one another. Though the film drags a bit and Death looks like G.One gone wrong,Shah has his audiences rivetted. At institutes like IIT and JNU,students watched the film and discussed about the money-marriage market. A fantasy scene towards the end expresses our editorial comment,that it is neither roop (beauty) nor gun (virtues) that makes a woman beautiful. Independence constitutes a womans real beauty. Without independence,both beauty and virtues are of no use to a woman, says Hattangadi. The film will be screened at India Habitat Centre on October 23. Contact: 24682001. Entry is free
