Still from Veerey Di Wedding

Connecting with Swara Bhaskar for this interview, her open letter to Sanjay Leela Bhansali, slamming his glorification of jauhar in Padmaavat, invariably steers the conversation. Referring to her act of voicing the opinion of many as she chided the celebration of a regressive tradition, I tell her, "It was a bold move!" Pat comes her reply, "And an incredibly stupid one too, I hear..." We laugh at the plight of an industry that doesn't encourage debate around art, even though art, in its truest sense, is debatable. Yet, Bhasker promises that Bollywood has more good than is visible. In a chat with mid-day, she talks about why she isn't agitated with the reaction to her letter, being shrugged off by award gala organisers despite delivering acclaimed acts, and how her next, Veerey Di Wedding, aims to change the way films led by women are perceived.