‘Natkhat’ director Shaan Vyas feels the entire ‘boys will be boys’ narrative needs to be changed

‘Natkhat’ starring Vidya Balan in a pivotal role is a short film that recently premiered on YouTube as part of the ‘We Are One: A Global Film Festival’. The film is helmed by Shaan Vyas and produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Vidya Balan. The movie also stars child actress Sanika Patel. The story is about a mother and her child where the former educates her son on gender equality in society.

It shows how toxic masculinity and patriarchy are ingrained in kids’ head from the very beginning. When we asked Shaan about the challenges in showing this thought-provoking subject in a short story format, he said, “The challenges were to ensure that within that much time if we are trying to cramp too much in then maybe the audience will not get moved at all or the alternative would be that they would be moved so much that they just get bored. To maintain the right balance of communicating the same thing in a short film, we tried to keep the tone very playful because it’s viewed from a child’s perspective. So, we balanced it out.”

When asked if he thinks filmmakers are bringing changes in the society by making films focusing on subjects like misogyny and patriarchy, the director said, “Change doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a lot of time, takes a lot of conversation and discussion. First, it requires one to question one’s own misogyny and patriarchy. Films coming in this vein, they initiate a conversation not just with people but even between your own self.”

He also said that deeprooted things like ‘boys will be boys’, ‘boys don’t cry’ and all need to change. “That is the part of toxic masculinity the entire ‘boys will be boys’ narrative. You cannot be excused for your gender or for a crime you commit just because you are born a male. That is all ingrained thing in our head and the society around us it male favoured and we see that. All our institutions, authorities, role models are all male. If a child sees gonna see a predominantly male world, he is going to believe that’ we are superior’. Any person who has an influence over the child as an adult, it’s his responsibility to change,” he said.

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We rarely see men coming out or speaking about mental health. When we asked Shaan’s take on it, he said, “The entire concept of male validation is the big killer of a lot of emotions. We try to show the entire thing of male validation in ‘Natkhat’.  There should be an awareness of what boys do wrong to each other because of which they become adults with suppressed and repressed emotions.”

Also Read: Vidya Balan’s ‘Natkhat’ director Shaan Vyas emphasises that there is no room for ‘boys will be boys’ anymore