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Bhaginee, which means tigress in Bengali, will showcase
the life of these women, some of whom are members and some even
presidents of gram panchayats. "Apart from highlighting the essence
of being literate, Bhaginee aims at empowering women . It
urges them to take heed of the fact that authority can come from
women too," says writer and director of the series, Anushree Dutt.
"A lot of research has gone into making the series. The series
will inform the people about the kind of progress and thinking that
has begun in rural areas. The intellectual thinking that prevails
in these villages is comparable to that which exists in the city.
People have become practical after becoming literate," Dutt adds.
Citing an example to prove her point, Dutt narrates the story of
one of the episodes featuring a lady who is the president of a gram
panchayat (village municipality). This lady was given a bill
to sign and told that 30 wells had been dug in the area under her
jurisdiction. She, however, insisted on seeing the wells before
signing the bill. The contractor tried in vain to dissuade her from
visiting the site.
When the lady in the story went to the site she found that pits
were dug without walls around them. She told the contractor that
the contract was to dig well and not pits and he had to do so in
whatever amount had already been sanctioned. He had no choice but
to relent. "That's the power of becoming a literate. It is
because she was able to read and write that she refused to sign
the bill without proof," says Dutt.
The entire series has been shot in the villages of Maharashtra
and Gujarat. " The star cast primarily comprises theater artistes
as I wanted actors who could play the characters in the most realistic
manner" asserts Dutt." So far nine episodes have been shot , she
adds.
The series will air on DD Metro on Thursdays and Fridays.
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