Shipra Arora’s latest short film Infertility is streaming on their YouTube channel Content Ka Keeda. While she has written the project, it has been directed by her brother, Shivankar Arora. They have both co-produced the drama.
“There is a stigma around infertility. And, whenever one thinks of it, one easily assumes it has to be a woman’s fault. This film showcases that infertility is a disease. Mostly curable and can happen to both genders. It’s an important topic yet no one talks about it openly. I felt there is a need to make something on this subject. As a writer, I always feel responsible when it’s come to creating any concept. What impact it will make on our audience. What they will learn from it. What will be the take away? This short film isn’t only entertaining but is also educational. As a creator we have a medium to educate people. I couldn’t miss this chance,” she says.
There are many who face this issue and most of us have heard about how the misconceptions around it have ruined relationships. Shipra also took inspiration from what is happening around her.
“From the time I understood about pregnancy, I have always heard a woman is being questioned about it. Never in my life have I heard or seen a man been asked, why he can’t have kids. If a couple aren’t having kids, it’s automatically assumed that it must be a girl’s fault. It could be simply their choice to have kids later or he could have an infertility problem. But no one ever goes there, which is sad, so we must talk about it,” she shares.
Such subjects are sensitive and therefore need special attention. “There is a taboo around the word infertility. Whoever is going through is hush hush about it. One gets diabetes, cancer and we all are sympathetic about it. But the moment we talk about infertility, it’s seen as a shortcoming, a failure on the person’s part. This short film gave me a chance to talk about the real problem… Infertility is just a disease. #untaboo it!” she urges.
Talking about choosing Rushad Rana for the husband’s role, Shipra adds, “I had recently met Rushad via a friend and had told him at that time that we at Content Ka Keeda would love to work with him. He showed interest, hence, he was always in my mind. When I wrote this script, I needed someone who looked like in his late 30’s. The character of the husband was of an understanding husband, who feels for his wife (Ritu Chaudhary), understands her and feels that she must be having some medical problem. But like many other men never questioned that the problem could be in or with him. It’s a complex character yet needed to be sweet. I don’t think anyone else could have done justice to this part but Rushad.”