Want to do justice to women characters I create: Writer Juhi Chaturvedi

From Vicky's grandmother, mother and wife in "Vicky Donor", to "Piku" and Vidya Iyer in "October", Juhi Chaturvedi has given life to some of the most real female characters and the writer on Sunday said she feels a sense of responsibility towards these parts.

Juhi said she always aims to do justice to these women and give them a voice, something they were not "allowed" to have for the longest time.

"I want to do justice to the woman I write. I feel it's my responsibility to do justice to the characters I write and ensure that everyone gets their fair share of truth, and definitely women too," she said during a panel discussion at the ongoing International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

 

The writer added she doesn't create strong female characters with a feminist agenda because such women have always been around.

"I will never have any man speak badly to her. I will not allow that to happen. I'm very clear about that unless it comes to point that it's needed for a certain scene. But then again, it's not about being feminist or writing strong female characters. I feel they are strong enough already, there is nothing to say that today suddenly out of the blue the women have become stronger. They were always there. It just that we didn't know."

Juhi said women have always had a desire to express themselves but the society didn't let them be vocal.

"The good part of our times is that finally women are allowed to have that voice. I hate the word 'allowed', but that is the reality. In my mother's time, she was allowed to have a voice in her bedroom, in front of her friends, but not on the dining table.

"...Now we can express ourselves instantly. When I write I ensure that there is no hint of regression in those families."

Citing the example of "Piku", which featured Deepika Padukone in the titular role and megastar Amitabh Bachchan as her father Bhashkor Banerjee, Juhi said she likes her women characters to not shy away from doing and asking what they want.

"If Syed (played by Irrfan Khan) was at home with Piku the night before Bhashkor falls ill and he comes out of her bedroom, so be it. So what if she and Syed are not married? It's just the physical need as Piku puts it. It's the truth of this world and I would like to say that without shying away."

Apart from Juhi, writer-editor Pooja Ladha Surti, filmmaker Meghna Gulzar, cinematographer Modhura Palit and author Sumedha Verma Ojha, were part of the panel at the session titled 'Nuances and Process of Filmmaking'.