Sir (Rohena Gera) India. Official Section |

Sir
Rohena Gera
India. 2018. 96 min

Such a touching eyeopener! Sir entails a social-cultural topic; that of segregation and class difference, but most importantly that of a particular kind of love that crosses boundaries.

Sir follows the story of Ratna (Tillotama Shome) who works as a servant of Ashwin (Vivek Gomber) who is the son of a rich contractors family in Mumbai, India. At first, Ashwin’s life seems perfect to Ratna. He is rich, he lives in luxury, he enjoys status within their society, has traveled and he has a good job at his father’s company. He has all the things that Ratna could only dream off, which is why she is desperately trying to learn how to make clothes because she secretly wishes to become a designer of clothes. But it doesn’t take long before Ratna sees that Ashwin isn’t happy and that he seems to have given up on his dreams. Ratna attempts to be more than a servant. She tries to cheer him up, be thoughtful and she tries to take great care of him. Eventually, it brings the two closer together. A fire is ignited that makes Ashwin like Ratna more than just being a friend. But their class differences make it virtually impossible to be together within the society that they live in. Where will this lead them? What will people say? How will this end?

ROHENA GERA

Rohena Gera studied at Stanford University and Sarah Lawrence College. She works as a scriptwriter for Indian cinema. She also engages in non-profit campaigns to defend peace and equality.

Rohena Gera wrote and directed her first documentary What’s Love Got to Do with It? The film shows a funny representation of urban and privileged Indians who reconcile with expectations about love, marriage, happiness and tradition. The story mixes the stories of eight unlikely candidates who are each in line for an arranged marriage, playing with the rules that often reinforce the status quo of class, caste and gender. The director takes an intimate look at the human quest for love and happiness, capturing social obligations or pressures within the Indian family.

In 2018 Rohena Gera presented her film Sir during the Cannes Film Festival, in the selection of La Semaine de la Critique.

INTERVIEW TO THE DIRECTOR