Ananya Chatterjee Chakraborti’s latest project, Understanding Trafficking, is in keeping with her feministic world view

When did feminism become a bad word? When exactly did women start distrusting the school of thought that brought a semblance of equality to our society? Probably when complacency with gender issues set in, feels filmmaker-activist Ananya Chatterjee Chakraborti. “I think a lot of women are okay with the status quo. We feel that because there is apparent equality in the society, we needn’t ruffle feathers,” says Chakraborti who screened her latest documentary, Understanding Trafficking last Monday at the Max Mueller Bhavan.

Chakraborti, as evident, has no qualms about being called a feminist. In fact, she celebrates the tag. “I’m proud to be a feminist, I have no shame in calling myself one,” she declares. Which is probably why most of her films are brazenly feministic. Case in point being her latest project, Understanding Trafficking, an exploration of woman trafficking in the sub-continent. The film is not just a cautionary tale about the plight of women who have been removed from comforts of their sanctuaries. “Women have for centuries been discouraged to cross the line, to remain indoors, and within limits. So what happens if a woman does cross the line? By circumstances, through need, or jsust by a desire to dare the magical line?” asks Chakraborti.

Chakraborti’s earlier works talked about varied issues like the role and status of women in the Uttarakhand movement (Uttaradhikar) and training of women to counter sexual harassment in the workplace (The Politics of Silence). But Woman trafficking is an issue that seems to have made a deep impact. “I can make at least three more films on the issue. We all presume that most trafficked women end up being prostitutes, but there are many who end up as domestic servants too. I want to talk about these women,” says Chakraborti.

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