JOIN USIf you fit one role, you just fit that...Change because you can question. Questioning is the start.” Not mere ramblings of a free mind, these are thorough, pondered-over thoughts of a 17-year old Delhi girl delineated into a short film.
Metamorphose, a five-minute long film is an answer to how Akshita Wadhwana, a Sardar Patel Vidyalaya student felt about the basic existential question that many of us are confronted with in our daily life, ‘Who are you? – In a gender defined world’. This time round though,the question has been posed by Arts University Bournemouth’s global art competition. Being the third position holder from India, Akshita's creative expression has earned her a foundation course in Arts in the University and 1000 pounds as a cash reward.
From being an ‘unruly’ daughter to an achiever, Akshita has leapfrogged to fame.
“It was difficult to explain it to my parents what exactly I was directing when I was making the video that questioned gender roles. But they understood my feeling when I had the video together.”
Interweaving sequences filled with close-ups of a woman’s hands while she rolls chapattis, of kohl-lined eyes with their mysterious depths and unasked questions – she uses verse to depict her story, rather than depending upon bytes or facts. It thus translates into a uniquely personal experience, seen through the eyes of a young girl in Delhi.
“My father bought me a Mac in Class 12, so I thought of using it in the best way possible,” says the budding filmmaker who elaborates over the verse, “You can be a feeble damsel. I have used that line in the film. But all I want is you should also be ready to help others when need arises. You cannot continue being feeble in every sphere.”
“Having your mother work in the kitchen and office has become an acceptable norm, fortunately. But why can’t fathers do the same?” the young mind dwells on the inequality in society that she finds disturbing to cope with.