Leena Yadav's "Parched" Awarded At The 14th Annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles

Parched has been released in France on April 20, in partnership with French newspaper Courrier international.
Leena Yadav's film displays misogyny and sexual abuses in the rural village of the State of Gujarat, in the West
of India.

“For this film (‘Parched’) you need to have somebody, who is sensitive. In my knowledge, it cannot be made by a
man. The flag bearer or captain of the ship has to be a woman. But when a man is supporting the film, it shows how
their mentality is changing towards women. It’s a positive sign,” Surveen Chawla said.

In 2012, a film maker from Mumbai found herself in some of Kutch’s remotest villages. In the course of her
travels, she struck friendships with many women. “Often, our conversations would turn into surprisingly frank
discussions on gender and sexuality. I realised we all talk of sex in the city — little knowing that it’s alive
and well in our villages too!” says Leena Yadav (known for her earlier directorial ventures Shabd and Teen Patti).
“In retrospect, I realised how universal these stories were! The world over, women sell their bodies to survive,
survive in abusive relationships, or live in the shadow of past relationships.”

“Parched”, a bittersweet tale of three rural women, will have its premiere tonight in the Special Presentations
section at the ongoing Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) before it releases in India.
The movie has been co-produced by Bollywood superstar Ajay Devgn. Surveen considers it as a positive sign that a
female-oriented film has been backed by a man.

"We need to start talking about sexuality in India other than from a medical point of view", said the film
director.