Alia Bhatt and Soni Razdan's mother-daughter co-production, Difficult Daughters, is leaving its impression at Busan's Asian Project Market. The team has given a glimpse into their vision for the adaptation of Manju Kapur's award-winning novel.
The novel, told over two time scales, "tracks" Virmati, the eldest of ten siblings in a conventional Punjabi family in 1940s Lahore. Inspired by the need for education and love, she defies convention, only to meet with unforeseen results when she becomes the second wife of a wedded professor.
Fast-forward to 2022, Virmati’s granddaughter, Simar, grapples with a troubled marriage and a secret relationship. Uncovering Virmati’s hidden past compels her to face her estranged mother, Ila.
Speaking to Variety, Razdan revealed that Kapur’s novel immediately triggered a visual response for her.
“When I read the book many years ago, at that time it struck me as being very cinematically written. It is descriptive in a way that evokes the inner landscape of the characters as well as the outer, actual canvas.”
She added that she started thinking about the story in visual terms much earlier than she thought about it as a film endeavor.
Razdan added: “While a nation was on the verge of attaining its independence, we have a young girl fighting for the same rights… However at its core, this film is a personal story, or rather – stories – that are set in two different time periods.”
Having last year starred in Yours Truly, which played at Busan back in 2018, Razdan returns this year as a director with Difficult Daughters.
She underlined the necessity of being authentic while re-creating history.
“1940’s small town Amritsar in Punjab has to be recreated, but in parallel, the casting is key. So actors, costumes, and set design are the most important elements particularly for ‘Difficult Daughters.’ And last but not least, the music… there is huge opportunity here to be really out of the box in terms of how we go about marrying past and present.”
Alia Bhatt, India's highest-paid actress and the CEO of Eternal Sunshine Productions, called the venture deeply personal and in line with her production house's mandate.
“At Eternal Sunshine, we are always on the lookout for stories that strike a deep chord and stay with the audience long after the film ends. ‘Difficult Daughters’ is undoubtedly one of those,” Alia said.
“Of course, it’s extra special to have my mom direct it, but what truly makes it stand out for me is the shared belief we all have in this story… Busan is a beautiful first step in its journey, and we hope the film continues to spark conversations and connections wherever it goes — because stories like this don’t just belong to one place, they belong to everyone,” she told variety.com.
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