Female foeticide, a ‘mean’ feat

Female foeticide continues to plague India as a deeply entrenched social evil. While stringent enforcement of laws is essential, the root cause lies in the societal norms perpetuated by patriarchy. Can cinema emerge as a powerful medium to highlight this critical issue, wonders Sravasti Datta.

Despite being illegal, female foeticide remains a grim reality in India, with recent incidents and statistics underscoring the pervasiveness of this crime. From a sex-determination racket uncovered in Karnataka’s Mandya district to Bihar’s alarming sex ratio at birth (SRB) prompting state intervention, the fight against female foeticide is far from over.

While laws to counter sex determination must be strictly enforced, the core issue lies in the deeply ingrained societal preference for male children. Recent films have effectively highlighted the distressing consequences of female foeticide, perpetuated by a patriarchal mindset.

It’s a Girl

Mehnaaz Nadiadwala’s internationally acclaimed short film It’s a Girl (2018) portrays a woman’s fight against the foeticide of her unborn daughter. The film is an adaptation of Mehnaaz’s book, It’s a Girl: Dialogues with a Princess.

Having won 22 global awards, the film reveals that female foeticide is not limited to rural or small-town India but is also prevalent in affluent urban areas. Mehnaaz, a film producer and social activist, shares that both the book and the film were born out of her personal experiences. Her mission is to raise awareness about women’s rights. “My ex-husband forced me to abort my third child because he did not want the baby. It was a deeply painful experience that ultimately led to our divorce,” Mehnaaz says. “I tried to sustain the marriage for societal reasons but couldn’t endure the pain any longer. I wanted to speak up and make people aware that such things happen even in the upper-class society.”

Mehnaaz explains that the idea to write her book arose during the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign and coincided with another personal loss — the death of her mother. “My mother’s death and my abortion happened many years apart. Losing my mother and daughter made me write the book, as I believe the pen is mightier than the sword,” she reflects.

The film’s standout feature is its theme song, composed by Platinum Grammy Award winners Tony Mercedes and Jared Lee Gosselin, along with Rama Duke and Nick Morzov. With lyrics by Rama Duke, the song captures a mother’s promise to stand by her unborn child against all odds.

While the pain of her loss endures, Mehnaaz remains committed to raising awareness. Her next book, Womanistaan, is also set to be adapted into a film.

A Lullaby for Yellow Roses

Rahul Roye’s short film A Lullaby for Yellow Roses (2023) won the Best Social Justice Film award at the 19th Tasveer Film Festival and Market, an Oscar-qualifying South Asian film festival. Notably, it is the only short film acquired by CANAL+ France. The film’s success lies in its sensitive portrayal of a working-class couple forced to abort their unborn daughter due to familial pressures. It skillfully explores the intersection of caste, class, and gender.

Rahul shares that the film’s concept emerged from producer Abdullah Al Kandari (the other two executive producers are Abid Aziz Merchant and Tushar Tyagi). “We wanted to depict grief as a gendered experience, where societal norms dictate how men and women are expected to express it,” he explains. The film portrays the couple’s estrangement, exacerbated by their cramped living conditions. “They never find space to share their grief, living in a small room where they even share a bed with the mother-in-law,” Rahul notes. Extensive research went into the film, including interviews with owners of illegal clinics conducting sex-determination tests. Rahul’s career as a director began during the Covid-19 lockdown, following his work as a screenwriter. His earlier short film, Man & Wife, about a non-binary person’s journey, received widespread acclaim.

Jayeshbhai Jordaar

While independent cinema has delved deeply into the subject of female foeticide, mainstream Bollywood has largely shied away from it.

An exception is Divyang Thakkar’s Jayeshbhai Jordaar (2022), starring Ranveer Singh, Shalini Pandey, Boman Irani, and Ratna Pathak Shah. The film reimagines the Bollywood hero, presenting him as a non-confrontational man challenging the patriarchy to protect his wife and unborn daughter. In one pivotal scene, the protagonist, Jayesh, threatens to undergo a vasectomy to stop his family from pressuring his wife to produce a male heir — a moment inspired by a real-life incident. Divyang’s research included conversations with women and families in rural India. “Women would say things like ‘paanch, che miss karaadi,’ referring matter-of-factly to induced abortions of female foetuses as a step towards having a male child,” he recalls. The film’s genesis lies in an episode of Satyamev Jayate highlighting Haryana’s Bibipur village, where men publicly opposed female foeticide due to the skewed sex ratio. “I wanted to show how men, too, are oppressed by patriarchy,” Divyang explains.

Female foeticide remains a pressing issue that demands national attention. Through their compelling narratives, such films serve as powerful tools and hopefully, cinema will continue to raise awareness about this deeply entrenched social evil.