Culture Machine’s bold new film depicts women’s fear for their safety in urban India
Mumbai, November 2015: Culture Machine, India’s leading digital entertainment company that is known for its disruptive content, has made another statement with their latest film ‘Cover Up’ by Roshnee Desai. Under the belt of Culture Machine’s Blush Originals banner and supported by their Being Indian channel, the experimental mixed media film explores a woman’s subconscious regarding her safety as she travels alone at 3 am in Mumbai.
Using abstract art, textures and patterns, a montage of visuals and a narrative; the film re-creates the character of the city at night and follows the narrator as she takes an auto to get home at what is traditionally considered an “unsafe” time. The narrator, an independent woman in her late 20s talks about how she fears for herself at night in her subconscious and is forced to cover up her identity, compromising her so called freedom, to only feel safe. The 2 minute film underscores the inner turmoil, the brutal fear and hypocrisy that women experience in Indian society.
Commenting on the film, Roshnee Desai, Designer & Film maker said, “We are taught that as women, we are constantly being watched and scrutinised. Subconsciously, we become puppets to this punishable voice in our heads – always checking, judging and being too wary of ourselves. After I went to study in London, I realised that our society has conditioned us to not believe in ourselves. I found my inhibitions as a woman were slowly changing and I could stop the voice from dictating me. I hope that after people watch this film, they start to question the validity of these inhibitions and hopefully free themselves of it. Culture Machine’s Blush Originals is a kickass new age woman’s platform which questions a lot of these norms, so associating with them seemed really apt. I hope we get the message out and more girls start to rationalise these subconscious fears.”
You can view the film on – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poDYSzAVXjQ