The other side of surrogacy

Directors Siddharth-Garima assert Dukaan has no similarities with surrogacy drama Mimi; say their film is about woman’s agency over her body

In 2021, Mimi explored the subject of surrogacy, even earning Kriti Sanon the National Award for her performance. So, one might think that Siddharth-Garima’s upcoming directorial venture  Dukaan, which takes a look at commercial surrogacy, runs the risk of not bringing anything novel to the screen. The thought initially worried them, admits Siddharth. “But Mimi was a glamourised take on the subject. It didn’t touch upon commercial surrogacy at all,” he says. 

Kriti Sanon in Mimi

Garima was confident that a lot was left to be said on the subject. “There were three Bhagat Singh movies [in a year], and there is a love story every year,” she says, noting that the treatment makes a world of difference.

Dukaan, starring Monika Panwar and Sikandar Kher, not only looks at the commercial side of surrogacy, but also talks about a woman’s agency over her body. Siddharth elaborates, “The government wants to ban surrogacy and take away a woman’s fundamental right to do what she wants with her body. It’s her call if she wants to sell her womb. There needs to be regularised rights of a surrogate. These are daily-wage earners whose lifestyles change with one surrogacy. There are rules to [the practice]; the surrogate doesn’t fall in love with the kid each time.” 

The filmmakers, who previously wrote Ram-Leela (2013) and Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (2017), are hosting a special screening  on April 3 for Gujarat-based women who have been surrogates. Garima shares, “These are 100 women whom we met during our research. They have told us their story. I hope they see themselves in Dukaan.”

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