I wanted to make hopeful, happy cinema that drives home certain points, says Tahira Kashyap Khurrana 

Divya Dutta and Saiyami Kher in Sharmajee Ki Beti.

Also Read | Sharmajee Ki Beti movie review: Tahira Kashyap’s debut is likeable, even if predictable

Hoping that the industry would be more “inclusive” in its approach, Kashyap Khurrana believes there is a difference that women writers and directors can make while telling stories. “Everyone has an individual way of looking at things. Different perspectives should come together; otherwise, only certain notions and ideas will be followed. No matter what space or genre I pick up, there is going to be one common factor: While creating the characters, I won’t run down any gender. I don’t want to reduce a woman to a carpet. At the same time, I wish to explore the man-woman dynamics,” she says. If there are enough women facing the camera and behind the camera, the labels such as “woman director” or “woman screenwriter” will become redundant, she believes.

Telling stories has always come naturally to Kashyap Khurrana. For Sharmajee Ki Beti, the stories come from her experiences of the world she grew up in. “It doesn’t matter where these stories are from; the idea is to bring forth as many interesting stories as possible,” she says.

Kashyap Khurrana, who has earlier directed short films Pinni and Toffee, chose to show the struggle of the characters, but “not in a very preachy sort of way”.

Arista Mehta and Vanshika Taparia in Sharmajee Ki Beti.

The write-director, who is married to actor Ayushmann Khurrana, says: “I have had enough lectures from my parents during school and college days even though I was a nerdy kid. In Mumbai, I was teaching. So, I am done with lectures.” This is what determined the humourous tone of her movie. She, however, hopes that the story would make the audience think. “My aim was that the people should empathise with the struggle of these women but in a palatable, happy space. I wanted to make hopeful, happy cinema that drives home some points,” says the director, who shot the film in 30 days.

Prior to that, during the preparation stage, Kashyap Khurrana narrated the script over and over again to the cast. “They brought their own take on it. The passion they brought to the set was amazing. Divya especially was like it’s her first time on a set,” she recalls.