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Released this month, Hindi film 'Joram' is a thriller about a tribal villager on the run with his baby daughter Joram. They are trying to escape the grasp of the urban police on one hand and rural politicians and Maoist rebels on the other.

The film features women in key roles: Smita Tambe Dwivedi plays 'Phulo Karma', a bereaved mother seeking ruthless vengeance; Nimmy Raphel plays the Maoist rebel chief; and Megha Mathur plays the role of Phulo Karma's ever-present, tech-savvy sidekick.

The film is not only gender-sensitive in its portrayal of women characters -- giving them nuanced back stories for psychological authenticity -- the cast and crew also attest to gender-conscious treatment on set and behind the scenes. (Smita Tambe was herself accompanied by her breastfeeding four-month-old baby at the time of the shoot.)

eShe editor Aekta Kapoor speaks to the film's producer Anupama Bose along with three female leads Smita Tambe, Nimmy Raphel and Megha Mathur on how women are portrayed in Hindi cinema and their own aspirations for gender-conscious Bollywood films.

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Rita Meher cofounded Tasveer South Asian Film Festival (TSAFF) in 2002 to serve as a platform for films from South Asia for audiences in the US. Today, Tasveer has the distinction of being the only Oscar-qualifying South Asian film festival in the world, and receives hundreds of applications each year.

This October, the 18th edition of TSAFF is all set to take place in-person from October 12 to 15 at multiple venues in Seattle, USA, while the online event will be available to viewers around the world on TasveerTV from October 16 to 22.

This year's line-up features diverse genres and captivating themes. The selection includes 23 features, 60 shorts, 20 documentaries, and 63 narratives among others. "I like to call it a buffet!" says Rita Meher in this interview with eShe TV's Aekta Kapoor.

Rita also shares how her cinematic journey began with an incident of racial hate following the 9/11 attacks in the US, and what it took for her to stick to her mission for over 21 years.

Visit tasveer.org for more details and the complete schedule.

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As India celebrates 76 years of Independence, eShe TV puts the spotlight on what freedom means to Indian women.

Are Indian girls free to make informed choices for their lives – about work, marriage, finances, or even something as simple as what to wear? Do Indian women have freedom of movement and equal access to opportunities or even public spaces?

eShe editor Aekta Kapoor speaks to three panelists, all of whom run independent platforms to support women:

Sangeeta Duggal Relan is an associate professor at Delhi University who has taught for over 30 years. She is the founder of AboutHer, an e-magazine about women, their relationships, and their life challenges. She also runs a podcast about women trailblazers.

Dr Manisha Bose is a lecturer at Assumption University in Thailand. She is founder of We Women Network in Bangkok and chapter head of #WomenPower, a global movement.

Shweta Saxena is a Pune-based eco-entrepreneur, television personality, and the founder of Woman TV & Pune TV by Shweta Saxena, a digital channel for women across the globe. She is a branding psychologist, TEDx speaker and digital ad filmmaker.

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From a poverty-stricken childhood in Mumbai to the Academy Awards red carpet in LA, Saraswathi Balgam's rags-to-riches tale is dotted with grief, gumption and meditation. This podcast is narrated by Maya Lalchandani, who wrote the original article in eShe.

Does the younger generation look up to strong female protagonists in books? Will boys pick up books that feature girls in the lead? Who decides one kind of literature is for women and another for men?

eShe editor Aekta Kapoor invites four novelists to share their views on these subjects and more.

Speakers:

Dr Arva Bhavnagarwala, Mumbai-based paediatrician, fiction writer, mother to two boys, author of ‘A Little Bit of Love’ (2023)

Dr Preetha Vasan, associate professor of English literature at a premier women’s college in Bengaluru, award-winning poet and writer; author of mythological fantasy novella for young adults ‘The Chronicles of the Crimson One’ (2022)

Salini Vineeth, Bengaluru-based fiction and freelance writer, author of five books, the latest being ‘Lost Edges’ (2023)

Dr Shalini Mullick, Delhi-based pathologist, award-winning writer, and author of ‘Stars from the Borderless Sea’ (2022)

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Link to buy eShe's collection of short stories 'Everything Changed After That: 25 Women, 25 Stories' - my.eshe.in/book

Despite India's history of compassion towards all living creatures, the human-animal conflict is getting worse with more urban development and human activity in areas otherwise occupied by wildlife.

eShe editor Aekta Kapoor speaks to two representatives from
Humane Society International (HSI) India, managing director Alokparna Sengupta and senior director Keren Nazarath, on the subject.


HSI is an NGO present in 50 countries, working to promote the human-animal bond, improve farm animal welfare, protect wildlife, and promote animal-free testing and research.