- Says cinema means curiosity, experience, and dialogue — not preaching
Bhopal: At a special film screening organized by Azim Premji University, Bhopal, celebrated filmmaker and writer Paromita Vohra presented her powerful documentary ‘Working Girls’. The event highlighted Vohra’s belief that cinema is not about moral instruction but about curiosity and conversation. Her film — sensitive, humorous, and thought-provoking — delves into the invisible labour of women in Indian society, exploring their complex realities across different forms of work.
Working Girls: Seeing the Unseen
Lasting two and a half hours, Working Girls takes audiences into the worlds of women engaged in diverse and often stigmatized professions — from sex work, surrogacy, and egg donation to domestic labour, care-giving, and agricultural work. These forms of work sustain both emotional and economic life, yet remain undervalued or hidden. Through a mix of satire, intimacy, and honesty, Vohra sheds light on women’s contributions that society often refuses to acknowledge.
Fiction vs. Documentary
In the post-screening discussion, Vohra asserted that “the division between documentary and fiction film is false.” She explained that her filmmaking avoids burdening audiences with guilt or didactic messages. Instead, she seeks to create dialogue and curiosity, blending realism with creative expression. Vohra incorporates humour, animation, and music to capture the richness of lived experience.
From Unlimited Girls to Working Girls
Reflecting on her two-decade-long journey, Vohra described Working Girls as a continuation of her 2002 film Unlimited Girls — which explored young women’s personal feminist awakenings. In contrast, her recent work expands feminism’s frame to include women from diverse social and economic contexts, challenging elitist boundaries within feminist discourse.
The screening drew a vibrant audience of teachers, students, and artists, all engaging in a lively discussion about women’s labour, humour, and the social purpose of cinema.
