Shreya Dhanwathary, Natasha Malpani Oswal On Their Short Film, ‘Birth’, And The Stigmas And Difficulties Associated With Childbirth
Giving birth to a child is one of the most beautiful things in a woman’s life but it is equally painful. However, being a mother is a woman’s decision but unfortunately, we live in a society where women have to go through a lot of stigmas related to childbirth and pregnancy. In fact, there still prevails a lot of superstitions around this topic too of which women become a victim. The short-film Birth which is soon going to be released on the OTT platform Disney Plus Hotstar revolves around such difficulties and pressure put on pregnant women by society. The producer of the film Natasha Malpani Oswal shed some light on how she came up with the idea of Birth. Shreya Dhanwanthary who is the lead actress in the film and plays the challenging role of a pregnant woman also put forth her opinions about playing the role.
Birth is a short film that is being produced under the banner of Boundless Media. Natasha Malpani Oswal gave us a deeper understanding of the reason for developing the short- film.
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Q1. Where did the idea for the film originate from?
Natasha: I actually came up with the idea of Birth because the topic is really personal to me. I feel like when we show women’s life, we do not cover the stage of them deciding to get pregnant, being pregnant and the challenges they go through while trying to navigate becoming a mother and the meaning of it. We really don’t cover the pressure society puts on women to be good and perfect mothers, or the pressure women put on themselves. So, I wanted to tell a story about the important topic but in a unique way. I also wanted it to be engaging and therefore we chose to show it in a very satirical manner. I think people will be surprised by where we have taken this story.
Q2. According to you, what is the biggest message that this film brings to you and will also come across to the audience?
Natasha: I think the audience will really resonate with this film because we have explored what sort of funny messages society sends a pregnant woman. The expectation that society puts on pregnant women in terms of what they should and should not do. As women, this cycle never ends. First, it’s about getting married, then it is about the first kid, and then the second. In this cycle of pleasing other people, we rarely ourselves what it that we want and sort of lose out own voice. So, I think people will resonate with how we have shown this. Because we have a very funny take on what it means both for society to try and impose their expectation on us through Lillete Dubey’s role and also what it actually means to break out of this and find your ways through Shreya’s role.
Shreya Dhanwanthary also expressed her thoughts about the challenges of playing the role of a pregnant woman and how did she mentally prepare herself for it.
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Q. What was the most emotionally difficult scene for you in the film, and how did you prep for it?
Shreya: The whole space of the film was something that I haven’t quite explored. And the fact that we were kind of giving shape to a metaphorical horror was something that really excited me. I can’t really prep for this film by really becoming pregnant but I did what I could by focusing on the truth between the moments which I had to portray.
Also Read: ‘Birth’ Trailer: A Spine-Chilling Story About A Pregnant Woman Forced Into Dark Practices Of A Maternity Centre
Natasha Malpani Oswal and Shreya Dhanwanthary also expressed their opinions on the controversial childbirth scene from House of The Dragon, episode 1.
Q. Recently, a childbirth scene in Game of Thrones prequel House Of The Dragon was criticised for being too gory. But the director later revealed that women wanted it to be gorier, because childbirth needs to be shown for what it is. What’s your take on that?
Natasha: I love that. I always say that birth should be called barbaric birth because it really is gruesome. We should not run away from the dirty or negative aspects of motherhood. I feel like we try to show getting pregnant, having a baby, and being a mother as this beautiful time in a mother’s life where everything is fresh and flowery which obviously it is and we should lean into that. But there are pretty horrific paths in growing a baby inside of you and giving birth. There are physical, mental, and emotional changes that happen inside our bodies. We should not shy away from showing what impact these changes have on young women. I think we should also prepare mothers for what they are in for. Because only if we are honest about our stories, can we then help others. So, I do feel like we need more honesty in how we portray this time.
Shreya: I have read about the childbirth scene birth but I have not seen it. So. I don’t really know what to say and I cannot comment on it. But since my sister recently gave birth so I know what she went through, and why should we show anything tame, if childbirth is brutal, not if it is brutal and women go through hell for it. So, why not?
Also Read: Women Wanted Makers Of ‘House Of The Dragon’ To Make The Brutal Birthing Scene From Ep 1 More Gory And We Understand Why
Birth will be streaming on Disney Plus Hotstar from August 27. You can watch the trailer here-
