A superhero is born!

Mona

Something that started as a film’s screenplay 16 years back sees the light of the day as a novel. Activist, entrepreneur and filmmaker Madhureeta Anand’s debut novel Krishna Circus reimagines mythology within a superhero universe, weaving in the themes of gender and ecology. On a book signing spree in Chandigarh on Tuesday, Madhureeta, with a wise head on her dainty shoulders, spoke about her journey as a filmmaker, turning an author and her app Phree in a freewheeling chat!

Krishna calling

When shooting for my first film, Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye, one day I was standing in front of a lovely backdrop and I suddenly thought of a superhero who could save the Earth. A hero who could travel back in time to stop all the disasters from happening so that we could have a better planet to live on. It stuck in my head. I told my friends about this idea for a film, but I didn’t get a positive response. However, I never gave up on the story. I kept telling it to my daughter, who was about eight years old at that time. When years later, I sat to revisit the screenplay, there was a dissonance. A film has to have a ‘hero’. But my character was essentially a nurturer, a woman, as pointed out by a writer friend of mine. So, Krishna became a woman and everything fell into place. I did some research on quantum mechanics — work, space, energy — and I realised that I was actually writing a book. I reached out to Ajay Mago and OM Books International came on board!

Chandigarh’s been home

I studied at the Lawrence School, Sanawar, and Chandigarh was our go-to place for eye and dental checkups, and fun. We loved Sector 17 and Hot Millions. In fact, my entire tech team for Phree is in Chandigarh. That the city still has all these bookstores is just remarkable.

Women then and now

In my grandparents’ generation, men and women were two separate spheres. Men took their role as a provider as their responsibility, not a burden. My mother’s generation went through a difficult transition. Women went out to work with a little bit of guilt and the home burden was never shared. Women of my generation, the Gen X, made it all possible. We had to confront everything. And, we have come out with flying colours. But I think men have really dropped the ball. They’re neither able to provide, and nor are they able to be partners. Instead of saying ‘let’s redefine masculinity’ in consultation with the other gender, they have become the poor things. The young generation today has high anxieties, but the youth can change the world in their own way.

Up next

I am writing my next film called Yellow Line. It’s the story of three characters, set in Delhi along the metro yellow line. My app Phree, a mobile tool to make public spaces safer by harnessing user safety ratings, is is growing very well. And I am writing the next part of Krishna Circus!

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