‘We want to start out normalizing queer characters in movies’: Indian screenwriter Mrittika ‘Mou’ Sarin

Then she was “suddenly placed in the position of having to defend it”, to “combat for [her] roots whereas “assimilating into American culture”. The cross-cultural storyteller additionally needed to forge her identification as a queer individual,

Today, after over a decade of delivering content material to the worldwide viewers, Mou — who works between Los Angeles and Mumbai, and has produced and written Hotstar specials like ‘Criminal Justice‘ and ‘City of Dreams’ — says she is “excited” by the prospect of not ever figuring out “everything there is to know about screenwriting”, and that you will need to “be open to criticism and feedback”.

In a latest interplay with indianexpress.comshe talked about her life and beginnings, being a individual of colorationHollywood’s downside with tokenism and what she thinks about Bollywood’s remedy of movies coping with the LGBTQ+ neighborhood,

Excerpts:

Tell us about your childhood — you have been raised each in India and the US. How did it affect your youth?

I used to be born to an Assamese mom and a Punjabi father. Growing up in New Delhi within the ’90s, I at all times felt I used to be completely different. I look partly northeastern and was very conscious of it primarily based on how different youngsters would deal with me, however my mother and father raised me to be pleased with who I used to be regardless of this.

When I used to be 13, we moved to Baltimore the place my mom went to Johns Hopkins for a PhD in Public Health. That was the primary time I noticed I wasn’t simply Assamese and Punjabi, I used to be Indian. And being Indian may be very completely different within the US than it’s in India. Suddenly, I used to be positioned within the place of getting to defend my identification and to combat for my roots whereas assimilating into American tradition. This strategy of forging my very own identification — queer in addition to Indian — is one thing I at all times want I had references to in films and TV, and is one thing I plan on making myself.

The screenwriter mentioned she was born to an Assamese mom and a Punjabi father, and was made to really feel completely different. (Photo: PR handout)

When did storytelling and screenwriting start to enchantment to you?

I used to be a child with an insane creativeness. The timber I climbed have been my pals, the deserted guardhouse was my hideout, the roof was my watch tower. I used to be at all times misplaced in my creativeness. By the time I used to be 9, I used to be constructing worlds in my head filled with creatures and legendary beasts. I began writing novels primarily based on them, full with maps and character descriptions. All written throughout class, after all, after I wasn’t being attentive to my academics. What was clear was that I used to be drawn in direction of visible storytelling from a really younger age and the necessity to specific myself led me to screenwriting.

You shuttle between Los Angeles and Mumbai now for work. How completely different or related are these two cities?

Both cities are very related within the tradition of welcoming outsiders, particularly for the movie business. People in each locations appear to have a sure drive and starvation to realize. My experiences with each have discovered me with long-lasting friendships and networks which can be extremely useful. I’ve discovered there are numerous life-style variations; mobility and transportation is extra simply accessible in Mumbai however in LA, one must have a automotive. Overall, I’ve discovered that individuals all around the globe are extra related than they suppose.

As a cross-cultural storyteller, what’s your statement about how queer characters are written in Indian and within the West?

What I’m seeing in queer characters in India is that they’re queer in tales about their struggles — correctly. The West, nonetheless, has moved on to having queer characters that aren’t essentially in queer tales however regardless of the materials is about. Basically, there’s a normalization of queer individuals, and their lives are simply discovered in lots of tales and that is what I hope Bollywood can do sooner or later as properly.

Of late, there have been just a few movies in Bollywood which have tried to symbolize the LGBTQ+ neighborhood. Do you suppose they’ve been profitable?

I’m very pleased with the strides that Bollywood has been making to symbolize the LGBTQIA+ neighborhood particularly in films like ‘Super Deluxe‘ and ‘Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui, Like I mentioned, now we have to begin normalizing queer characters and their lives so whereas the progress is nice, we will preserve going.

According to you, what’s the key element required to make extra movies and reveals within the nation that symbolize the LGBTQ+ neighborhood?

Good writers can write about every kind of individuals, nevertheless it’s necessary to look at each a part of this character and take into consideration why you need them to be queer and the way that may play in your story. It’s necessary to analysis, discuss to queer or trans individuals about their experiences and, possibly, even share your stage with queer or trans individuals. It’s necessary to by no means assume that you realize the whole lot about this character. Defer to queer individuals or trans individuals about their lived experiences and actually take heed to their suggestions.

“I have dealt with a lot of discrimination and hate directed at me.” (Photo: PR handout)

The West has, for a very long time now, been accused of ‘tokenism’, particularly with regard to a brown character. How ought to this situation be tackled?

What I’ve been not too long ago noticing in Hollywood is a shift, in that there are positively much more individuals of coloration (POC) tales helmed by POC. Even characters on long-running TV reveals, who might need been POC with out their identification ever being talked about, at the moment are diving deeper into their character’s experiences with race. I feel there’s positively extra room to develop, however I do see important progress.

Can you share a leaf out of your individual journey to throw gentle on what it takes to develop into a profitable screenwriter? What sort of challenges did you face initially?

I feel it is actually necessary to know what your voice is. Every author has their very own distinct voice and it takes time to hone it. In my strategy of studying the way to write for the display screen, it took me a very long time to close out all the opposite voices and to belief myself. This goes hand-in-hand with being open to studying. I’m excited by the concept that I will not ever know the whole lot there may be to find out about screenwriting, regardless of how profitable I’m. Being open to criticism and suggestions made me a stronger author. The individuals I’ve round me now, who learn my drafts, are individuals who know my voice and know the place I wish to go.

Did your identification as a queer individual ever develop into a roadblock? How supportive was your loved ones?

I’ve been very fortunate and grateful sufficient to not have had my queer identification be a roadblock however, like many others, I’ve handled numerous discrimination and hate directed at me. I got here out to my mother and father after I was 18 they usually weren’t blissful, to say the least, however I do not blame them because it was a unique time. I, nonetheless, had unimaginable help from my youthful brother who was very pleased with me and who pushed me to be courageous. Now, a few years later, I’m extremely grateful to have a particularly supportive and loving household.

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