Taking Stock

At the risk of causing a severe bout of indigestion to the opposite sex, we8217;d like to quote, and agree with fillmaker Shona Urvashi when she states 8216;women are smart8217;.

Director Shona Urvashi mints sense out of sensex

At the risk of causing a severe bout of indigestion to the opposite sex, we8217;d like to quote, and agree with fillmaker Shona Urvashi when she states 8216;women are smart8217;. 8220;Take an ordinary housewife, the way she runs a house on a strict budget and manages to save and invest. Women know how to do business and they can be savvy with the sensex,8221; Shona, who turned 8216;bullish8217; with her latest film, Saas, Bahu Aur Sensex, takes 8216;stock8217; of the situation and shares that it8217;s no rocket science. 8220;It became more clear when I got down to research women as investors and came across amazing examples, most of them housewives8230;in fact, there was one in Chandigarh I talked to, one Anu Rai, who tracks the market on a regular basis,8221; for Shona, the idea of getting a nation8217;s favourite characters, saas and bahu, and hitting a high on the sensex with these unlikely players was simply irresistible. 8220;C8217;mon, what can be more typical? The obsession with them is finally justified,8221; she chuckles, the film being her second after Masumeh they are sisters and Zulfi Syed8217;s Chupke Se.

In a country where women are still treated as second class citizens, Shona8217;s tried to tweak the laws of physics in her favour and give the audience, especially the women, something to feel great about. For starters, she has the adorable Farooque Sheikh as the women-hating stockbroker and Kirron as the vivacious on-the-move housewife. 8220;I8217;m trying to capture a silent revolution where women are more than just bhenjis and bhabhijis,8221; she feels that a lot of under confidence among women is due to negative perceptions men enforce on them. 8220;We should take pride in whatever we do, after all women make up half of the planet,8221; she shrugs off the 8216;niche subject8217; adage and exclaims 8211; 8220;move over men, we need our space!8221; Had she not had her baby girl, Shona, who comes from a family that8217;s given us masterpieces like Hero Hiralal, Chashmebaddoor, Jalwa and Khatta Meetha, would8217;ve directed Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. But that was then, now is the time for raging bulls and bear hugs, which reminds us of the spat with Tanushree Dutta. 8220;Bollywood has this thing of blowing up the teeniest of issues. It was something real small and people do it just to attract attention and be different,8221; she reasons.

She8217;s a trained Bharatnatyam dancer, a sharp photographer, great writer in days when Maharashtra Herald had only men reporters, and fine actor. 8220;All in one, it8217;s being a director,8221; Shona8217;s sticking to her choice of profession, and yes, making everyone see green with her investments. 8220;Of course, I8217;m hooked,8221; she chirps. Lookout for her next: 8220;a romantic commercial blockbuster script.8221; Till then, lets 8216;stock8217; and 8216;share8217;.