PNS HYDERABAD
With just the perfect amount of humour, Bhumi Pednekar’s lead role in Thank You For Coming explored women’s sexual wants and challenged patriarchy. In his first feature film as director, Karan Boolani aimed to transform women’s roles in film. He believed that women were no longer merely props in films, and that was the greatest aspect of his first debut feature film! This is a condensed version of our interview with Karan Boolani, whose film Thank You for Coming generated a lot of interest even prior to its premiere.
How and why a film about female orgasm?
My scriptwriter, Radhika Anand, came up with the idea for Thank You for Coming. After she shared her story with me, we had a conversation about women’s orgasms. According to what she told me, the story revolves around a girl who has never experienced an orgasm before and wakes up one day realizing that she has experienced one—though she can’t recall who it was with. And when she conveyed the concept to us, we just burst out laughing. After that, when we all came together, their life experiences only made everything richer and richer.
Women are no longer cast in supporting roles in motion pictures. Regarding it, what are your thoughts?
As the film’s assistant director for Aisha, I was involved throughout the entire production and editing process. I recall the backlash against chick flicks and stories about privileged women who choose expensive clothing and handle urban issues! Then Khoobsurat and Veere Di Wedding arrived, and we began to witness its growth. And when the movie Veere Di Wedding came out, girls went out in groups to see it. And I believe I have witnessed this for more than ten years.
How did the movie fare at The Toronto International Film Festival?
It was a very positive response. It was the first time in my life that I was pulled over on the road. It was a great feeling to be recognized in a foreign land! Several girls approached me after seeing Thank You for Coming, telling me that it was “my story.”
Why aren’t there more films on women’s sex wants being produced?
I only hope that more and more movies about women’s sexual wants are produced in the wake of Thank You for Coming. I believe that we have discussed masculine pleasure in movies a great deal. When Vicky Donor first came out, people were uncomfortable talking about it, even though it was more of a medical and social issue than a sexual one. Nevertheless, the movie made it into people’s homes, and they were able to comprehend the notion of sperm donors and fertility specialists.
Why is there so much talk over Sonam Kapoor not being cast in Thank You for Coming?
