Jeejivisha Kale: ‘Love for Tighee has been heartwarming’

Jeejivisha Kale the young director of the muchacclaimed Marathi film Tighee three of us meets us at a book cafeacute in a leafy Pune bylane She has ridden there on a twowheeler ldquopraying there are no speed breakersrdquo because shersquos in a lot of pain due to PMS The tone of our conversation is set mdash candid freewheeling in tune with her very girlnextdoor vibe a lot of which seems to have seeped into her debut feature filmLike all good films Tighee is not about one thing It reveals deep insights about life death relationships family and human nature while touching upon sexual harassment and paedophilia ldquoI was clear I wasnrsquot making a PSA I wanted to tell a good storyrdquo Kale quipsThat this smallbudgeted Marathi film centering on the lives of an ailing mother and her two daughters is going strong a month after its release without being stamped out by the testosteronefuelled behemoth currently ruling the box office is a testament to the need for diverse cinematic content to coexistJeejivisha Kale directorldquoWersquove had people from different parts of the state demanding more shows Someone from Nagpur recently got together a hundredplus people through social media so that we could put up an extra show This kind of love from the audience is heartwarmingrdquo Kale saysDoes this validation taste sweeter after Tigheersquos intense struggle with the censor board The film had to contend with an A certificate after being denied the UA rating that couldrsquove widened its appeal Kale smiles ldquoThere will be an opportune time to talk about ithellip For now Irsquom just grateful to our producers Shardul Singh Bayas Nikhil Mahajan Suhrud Godbole Neha Pendse Bayas and Swapnil Bhangale for never backing down It often happens that when small films go through such rough situations producers might get demotivated It might even be advisable to cut losses and move on but with their support we have been able to get this film out in the theatresrdquo The film is indeed out there and thriving ldquoIrsquove had people hug me after the screening shivering with emotion Some have whispered in my ear lsquoThis has happened with me toorsquordquo she saysThe deep resonance the audience has felt with the film is because she and her collaborators worked together ldquoas one brainrdquo to create a livedin world Worldbuilding comes naturally to the director who grew up as a single child ldquoI grew up without a natural playmate and turned to books as companions I would read anything I could lay my hands on As a reader you imagine the characters in your head how they look and sound It has informed my filmmaking immenselyrdquoThanks to a solid star cast which includes veteran actor Bharati Achrekar Neha Pendse Bayas and Sonalee Kulkarni the characters in her head have transitioned on to the screen effectively ldquoTo their credit they respected even my lsquonorsquo I guess when someone speaks with conviction people do reciprocate positivelyrdquoldquoYoung woman filmmakerrdquo is then a tag she doesnrsquot care much about Yet her intuitive empathy for her women protagonists is palpable ldquoWe straddle multiple lives at any given time I could be happy to see my sister come home yet be worried about a call from my boss while also be preoccupied with the washing machine and my clothes will dry by the evening As women we are never just doing one thing in a moment I wanted to bring that out in the filmrdquoNext she has a thriller comedy and a mature romance on the cards but thatrsquos all shersquos willing to share Shersquos content to soak in the appreciation for Tighee from critics and audiences alike