Why Shaadisthan delves into gender dynamics and marriage politics

Writer-director Raj Singh Chaudhary, who conceived and directed Shaadisthan, started thinking about its story when he experienced something first-hand in Rajasthan, which happens to be his native place. The filmmaker had seen someone close at home being married off at an early age without her consent or desire to be wedded. The film, backed by Sanjay Shetty of Opticus Inc and Anand Roongta of Famous Studios, drops on Disney+Hotstar in the next few days.
Talking about his reason to put this film together, Raj says, “We’ve talked about gender issues and the perception women have of one another by pitting Kirti Kulhari’s character and her world against Nivedita Bhattacharya’s character and her world. They co-exist but easily judge each other. They both have their own insecurities and are both normal women but they see each other differently. The purpose of pitting them against each other is the purpose of this film – how independent women have to fight a battle so women who are at home don’t have to go through hell. Arshi’s character serves as the perfect point of conflict. She’s on the verge of being pushed into a space which is alien to her and something she will have to fight to become a part of. In a lot of parts of the country, there are girls like Arshi who are married at the age of 18 when they may not be ready for it, they may not be pushed into the most compatible families and with a man they may not be very happy to be with at the first place. The sad part is that it’s prevalent. The idea is to make parents understand that they need to stop treating their young daughters as they call it ‘bojha’or forced duties.”