Sangeeta Datta is a professor of English literature-turned-film maker with The Way I See It -- a series of interviews with women in the world of film-making.

A transition that precipitous!

"It was not a transition. I have been a film critic for several years now," says this student of Calcutta's Jadavpur University, where it's almost impossible to be out of the film circle. Datta, who has no institutional training in film-making as such, has been actively involved with film-makers and the world of documentary and parallel cinema. "I assisted Basu Bhattacharya in the making of Aastha."

Is The Way I See It a stepping stone to serious film-making?

"It is part of my post-doctoral project on `Women in Indian Cinema' at the University of Sessex. The female voice and gaze, which is essentially what my film talks about, have been my areas of keen interest." In short, creative expression of women is a subject close to her heart. The film is a series of interviews withVijaya Mehta, Sai Paranjpe, Deepa Mehta, Aparna Sen, Kalpana Lajmi, Aruna Raje, Suma Josson how they locate and identify themselves, are they comfortable being called women film-makers, how they define the `female gaze,' how empowering an experience film-making has been. "I have taken bytes from Shyam Benegal, who has talked about the work and vision of these women."

The message then is clear women film-makers are a separate category, with their own distinctive touch and vision.

"I must make it clear that my purpose is not to chaff women film-makers from the broad category of film-makers. But I do believe that women are the most capable lot to deal with issues of women. That doesn't mean women film-makers are only capable of communicating to an alternate audience. Tanuja Chandra, for instance, is into mainstream cinema, though I admit I don't appreciate her work."

Is she a feminist documentary film-maker in the making?

"Feminist within the context of my situation and my experience,with an understanding of the overall situation of women. Feminism isn't a term that applies to all of us in the same sense. And I am not restricted to documentaries. I am working on a feature script and am aware that it will be an uphill task in terms of finance. "

But is the subject `women'?

"In brief, it is a multi-lingual film about a woman who has migrated from the West to North India. I want to take the narrative to Shantiniketan, an integral part of my cultural life. Tagore is as relevant to me as any of my other experiences. They are not at loggerheads with each other. That's the film in short."

Back to The Way I See It, how was the production experience?

"It started off on a rather disappointing note. Before coming down to India last September, I had talked to Kiran Shantaram, son of V Shantaram, who is now running the V Shantaram Institute. He promised me equipment for the shoot. But when I got here, he refused saying his technicians were caught up somewhere. It was annoying.Thankfully, others co-operated." She also had friends who worked at much lesser costs. The toughest part was post-production, done in London. "I hope the film serves in the process of research document on the subject."

-- SANJUKTA SHARMA