Section 375’s Director Ajay Bahl On 5 Years Of The ‘MenToo’ Film: Some Misread The Intention... | Exclusive
Ajay Bahl's directorial, Section 375, turned five today. Starring Akshaye Khanna, Meera Chopra, and Richa Chadha among others, it is a courtroom drama revolving around a case wherein Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code is levelled against a film director by a costume designer. The section defines rape as "sexual intercourse with a woman against her will, without her consent, by coercion, misrepresentation or fraud or at a time when she has been intoxicated or duped, or is of unsound mental health and in any case if she is under 18 years of age."As Section 375 completed 5 years of its release, director Ajay Bahl spoke exclusively with Zoom about making a powerful film, behind-the-scene memorable moments and more.Excerpts from the interview:Ajay, five years of your powerful film!As I allow myself a bout of nostalgia on the fifth anniversary of Section 375, the first thing that comes to mind is that how for me the film was an exploration of the intricate dance between law and justice. With law being a set of rules established by a governing authority and justice being an ideal moral concept seeking fairness and equity. How did you tackle the rhythm of this dance between law and justice?To realise the theme what the film needed was a stellar cast and crew and a wonderful set of actors I got to work with: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, Dibyendu, Kruttika [Desai], Kishore Kadam, Meera, Rahul Bhat, all made the material their own and it was a thrill to be surrounded by their vibrant energy on set, a big shout out to my wingman DOP Sudhir Chowdhary and last but never the least Kumar Mangat Pathak, my producer who was always there to provide what we needed.ALSO READ: 5 Years Of Section 375: Rahul Bhat Looks Back At Ajay Bahl's 'Bold' Film Which Released After MeToo Movement | Exclusive The courtroom looked so real. It was his idea to make a huge set for the court room scenes at Yash Raj Studios which really added to the visual scope and we were able to move our camera which not have been possible in a real or a smaller location . Any specifically memorable incident? There were so many great moments on set but I’ll share a sombre one not many people know about, in fact you could call it a near death experience. We were doing a shot with Akshaye. The rehearsal was good and me and Akshaye were discussing last minute scene details. After the conversation, Akshaye started to move towards his mark and I went to the video assist. Barely three seconds later and no exaggeration here, from a height of about 25 feet, a 50 kg light fell exactly where we had been standing three seconds before. That was a close one. Luckily no one was hurt and the shoot went on as planned. I guess what was meant to be was MenToo be? Ha ha. For me, the film was equally a warning tale for men abusing their power at work as it was a comment on well meaning but hastily put together framework of laws. Some people though misread the intention as the film released during the Me too movement in Bollywood and thought it to me the male response to the gender empowerment movement. To put things in perspective, Manish Gupta had written the initial script years before the MeToo became a movement in Hollywood.
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