Safia, a deeply religious Muslim woman from Bhopal in Central India, driven by her belief that because of the patriarchal mindset of the interpreters of 'Sharia', Muslim women are denied equality and justice in the community. She joins a program that trains women as Qazis, (Muslim clerics who interpret and administer the personal law), which is traditionally a male preserve. The film documents her journey as she struggles and negotiates through hitherto uncharted territory, exploring the tensions that arise when women try to change the status quo and take control of narratives that so deeply affect their lives. Through Safia 'Apa ' or elder sister as she is called, several other women join the program; through their lived experiences, the film comments on the arbitrariness of the instant 'triple talaq' practice (Instant divorce by saying Talaq thrice). These and other landmark moments, political and legal, find reference in the film as does the changing socio-political scenario that impact their lives.
In its four years journey, the film also documents the movement against Triple Talaq, Muslim women’s struggles to break free of patronizing voices within the community as well as resist forces outside from appropriating their movement to suit their own political agenda.
International Premiere: 54th HOF International Film Festival, Germany
Director - Farha Khatun
Producer - Priyanka More
Associate Director - Biswajit Das
Editor - Sankha
Cinematographer - Debalina, Priyanka Biswas
Sound Re-Recording and Design - Sabyasachi Pal
Music - Santajit Chatterjee
Trailer Editor - Abhro Banerjee
Sound Mixing - Anirban Ganguly
Colourist - Uttam Kumar Pandey
Text - Jhelum
Associate Producer - Zaheer Shaik
Cast - Safia Akhtar (Lead), Syed Jalil Akhtar, Noorjehan Safia Niaz, Zakia Soman, Nasreen Metai
SOAS University of London, UK
Hertie School Kino Club, Germany
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) , India
O. P. Gindal University, India
Film and Television Institute of India (FTII)
Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), India
Centre for Canadian Studies, Institute of English, University of Kerala, India
Delhi University’s Delhi School of Journalism, India
Azim Premji University (APU), India
Stockton ARC Centre, UK
National Institute of Design (NID), India
Nazaria Film Club, Drishti Media, India
Goethe Institute, Kolkata, India
Jamia Millia Islamia, India
Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Dhenkanal, Odisha
