By Arun Pratap Singh
DEHRADUN, 20 Oct: Acclaimed film maker of the new generation and a Welham Girls’ alumna, Alankrita Shrivastava, today called upon the students of the school to love themselves more than others. She was addressing the students of her Alma Mater as the chief guest, on the occasion of 62nd Founders Day of the school. Telling the students and the parents of her journey which began as a student of the school, to becoming a film maker, she said that it was important to dream and then put time, effort and energy towards realising them. Calling upon the students to dream big and start dreaming right away, Alankrita asked them to not to give up on their dreams, come what may. She asserted that her time in the school was responsible for making her what she was today, in shaping her personality and capabilities and claimed that she still vividly remembered her days at the Welham Girls’ School. She also asserted that Welham Girls was still among the most distinguished school in the country. She remembered that her dreams began when she was exposed to audio visual classes in the school. Wanting to express herself, she started writing articles, many of them got rejected in the beginning, but she did not give up, and finally her articles started getting published, and the writing led her to writing scripts and to finally directing films herself. Alankrita added that she dreamt of directing films and for this started her journey as an assistant director. She said that she was one among the only three women working on that film in a unit that comprised of over 200 staff members. Despite getting scolded and sometimes feeling like to give up, she chose not to give up and therefore could go on to realise her dreams. Alankrita also credited her mother for what she was today. She said that she learnt from her mother and grandmother to be a strong woman and to be able to live on own terms. She called upon the women to be financially independent as only financial independence could give them freedom and freedom of choice and freedom to say no. She said that there was no need for women of the 21st century to stay one step behind the men. They ought to learn to travel alone, learn to step out of comfort zone and totally live on own terms and not how the world would want them to live. Calling the women to be proud feminists, she stressed that they needed to love themselves more than loving anybody else, and also not let anyone judge them and love their bodies irrespective of the fact if they were fair or dark, thin or fat, tall or short. Alankrita also called upon women to create solidarity amongst women, and said that nothing could stop her from breaking the rules of patriarchy and strive towards creating a world of equality for women. Earlier, the Principal of the School, Padmini Sambasivam highlighted the achievements of the school and of the students and anchored the award presentation ceremony. Vinita Bali, chairperson of the Board of Governors of the school also addressed the gathering. Alankrita has a penchant for telling women’s stories and likes to explore the inner world of women through her films. Most recently, Alankrita’s third feature film as writer-director, ‘Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare’, featuring Konkona Sensharma and Bhumi Pednekar, had its World Premiere at the prestigious Busan International Film Festival earlier this month and will release in theatres in Spring, 2020. Alankrita’s second feature film as writer-director, ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’ released in India in July 2017, and was a critical and commercial success. It was banned in India for being too honest a portrayal of women, and Alankrita had to fight a long battle to get it released in India.
