Meghna Gulzar: Hope my films are not slotted as women-oriented stories

Meghna Gulzar. Image sourced from mid-day archives

Filmmaker Meghna Gulzar on Tuesday requested the audience to not slot her films, including her latest Chhapaak, as women-oriented stories. Director of films like Talvar and Raazi, Meghna said she chooses a story that connects with her and the character's gender has no role in it.

"I have a request that do not categorise 'Chhapaak' as women-centric film. My stories do have stronger female characters, unlike our conventional films.

"But they are not the stories of only one woman. I'm really hoping that my films say a lot more than being just a woman-oriented story," Meghna told reporters here.

The director was speaking at the trailer launch of Chhapaak, starring Deepika Padukone. The film is based on the life of acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal.

Meghna said as a filmmaker, her endeavour is to be honest to her craft and do her job with sincerity.

"I choose stories that resonate with me. I go purely by instinct. I never think like, 'Now I want to make a sensitive film so I will look for a sensitive topic or how will I make it commercial?'

"I tell a story with as much honesty and authenticity as possible, and whether or not it'll be a commercial film is not in my hands. Nobody sets out to make a failure or a flop film. We all want our films to do well. I just want to work with absolute honesty," she added.

Also featuring Vikrant Massey, "Chhapaak" is scheduled for a January 10 release.

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates