‘Maryam’ by Arvind Pratap, which received post-production support from the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Film Fund, deals with a range of social issues in India.
Millions of families move from rural India to major cities in search of work, and “Mary” follows one of these migrant working families. The breadwinner is Maryam, who has to take care of her three daughters and also undertakes an illegal surrogate pregnancy to earn her family’s life in Mumbai.
Pratap, who previously directed The Reluctant Crime, got the idea for the movie from a newspaper article detailing changes in the Surrogacy Regulation Act by the Indian Supreme Court, whereby single parents were excluded from surrogacy.
“At that moment, I thought about what would happen to the baby and the surrogate mother if the couple separated during pregnancy. Who would the baby be? This thought lasted for a long time and was the seed for generating the ‘Maryam’ story,” Pratap said. diverse. “Later I read some other articles about illegal surrogacy in a small town called Anand in Gujarat, India. The COVID-19 pandemic affected a lot of migrant workers who came from far away cities to find work in a big city like Mumbai. Although a large number have returned Of them to their villages, but there are many of them left behind.This background inspired me to write the story of “Maryam”.
The family in the heart of “Maryam” happens to be a Muslim. “I was giving private lessons to a boy in Mumbai. In their house she worked as a Muslim maid and sometimes she would give me tea and snacks. I could feel the sadness on her face. Her character gave me the image of Maryam. That maid also lost her job during the epidemic. From there I decided to keep a Muslim family in My story,” Pratap says.
The role of Mary is played by Chitrangada Satarupa (“Ahare Mon”), who has dramatized her character and watched some movies recommended by Pratap about the unpleasant side of the pregnancy experience. This helped her broaden her perspective regarding the representation of pregnant women in cinema. The actress also looked for pregnant women, especially women who got pregnant more than once or twice, and was lucky that two people close to her were pregnant at the time.
Sataruba worked with three girls who play her daughters in the film. “We worked together for several days to create the bond, and to bring the natural essence into our chemistry and also own the characters as possible. It’s the first time all three of us have acted in front of the camera, so it was hard for me to make them feel comfortable and perform to the same rhythm as me,” Sataruba said. diverse.
Thanks to her mother who runs an NGO, Sataruba has known some migrant workers in Mumbai. “To be honest, during filming, when we shot at a location that was literally a makeshift camp for migrant workers, my idea of it changed,” Sataruba says. “It was a different world. People travel with their families to a faraway city without knowing the language, living in tents made of plastic, without electricity and full of dust, right on the side of the highway to earn a few bucks. That was a workshop I didn’t plan on, but she gave me a reality check as well. To a lot of strength and a lifetime of experience.”
The film is supported by Red Carpet Moving Pictures. “The story is at the heart of every film, and the uniqueness of the idea, and the director’s humility in the way he tells the story, prompted us to support this film,” said producer Sanjay Bhutiani. diverse. “The director was very keen for us to be a part of this film and help it reach more people.”
Red Carpet previously received another ACF support for “Hotel Salvation” (2016). “It is a tremendous support for any independent filmmaker and an honor and privilege to have the film premiered on such a huge global platform,” Botiani says.
“Maryam” movie premiere Thursday (October 6, 2022).
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