“You don’t have to be a woman to tell a woman’s story. Empathy is not a female privilege’’ says actor Bollywood Pooja Bhatt whose film “Saana” competes with 12 others for the prestigious Golden Peacock at the 54th International Film Festival of India in Goa.

Pooja told the media on the sidelines of the IFFI that “Sanaa,” whose story revolves around an ambitious woman grappling with internal battle that is rooted in her unhealed trauma, is a proof that one does not have step into the shoes of a woman to empathize with a woman’s plight. 

The film, directed by national award-winning Sudhanshu Saria, narrates how Sanaa, a 28-year-old financial advisor working in Mumbai finds out that she is pregnant and is absolutely clear on her decision to terminate the pregnancy.

But the actual process of getting the abortion will force Sanaa to re-evaluate her life and delve deep if the choices she has been making have been really her own.

Pooja said it is essential to have a dialogue on important issues such as abortion. She thanked the Government of India for its efforts to ensure women’s safety, empowering them to take decisions that matter to them.

Speaking about his idea and approach towards making the film, Saria said “I wanted to go more into an amorphous zone and delve into the matters of jealousy, class and desire. Those things were far more potent.

It was a mixture of three or four things going on, it was about people being selfish, inappropriate relationships at work and not having a healthy understanding of self.”

Speaking about his working style, Saria said that the cast and crew worked in sync. “The best job a director can do is to direct oneself while empowering others to work at their fullest potential”, said Saria.

The lead actress Radhika Madan, who played the role of Sanaa, shared her experience in discerning the different layers of the character.  She expressed how the film portrays Sanaa as a grey character and how it is a relatable character for many.