Sayani Gupta on 'Dear Men': It wasn't easy, but felt necessary

Mumbai, July 30 (IANS) As her film “Dear Men” premieres from Wednesday, actress Sayani Gupta said that the film is a reminder that these stories of human trafficking are not from another time, or another world.

Sayani shared: “Dear Men is a reminder that these stories of human trafficking are not from another time, or another world. They're happening right now, sometimes a few kilometres from where we live, eat, and scroll. As an actor, this role demanded I embody Dipesh's memory, his courage, and into the unspeakable reality that so many girls face.”

She added: “It wasn’t easy. But it felt necessary. Working with Keith was a treat because he's the kind of filmmaker who trusts silences over dialogues, and that trust allowed me to unearth something quieter, more primal.”

The actress hopes the film leaves people with more than empathy.

“I hope it leaves them with questions because that’s where change begins.”

Premiering on "World Day Against Trafficking in Persons", the film is inspired by a true story and based on activist Dipesh Tank’s real-life undercover mission to save trafficked girls.

Based on true events, Dear Men follows an undercover rescue worker who poses as a Bollywood director to infiltrate a remote, lawless village in Bihar.

Inspired by the real-life rescue operation led by Dipesh Tank, a Governor’s Medal-winning activist who went undercover as a filmmaker to rescue two minor girls trafficked into the sex trade, Dear Men takes the camera right into the belly of real-life horror.

Directed by Keith Gomes, the film is shot on handheld cameras and in atmospheric natural light.

Gomes said: “We didn’t release Dear Men on World Day Against Trafficking in Persons for symbolism. We did it because this day forces us to confront the uncomfortable. It strips away our denial. And this film does the same.”

“It doesn’t let you look away. When I first read about Dipesh’s rescue mission, it didn’t read like a hero’s journey. It read like a man moving purely on instinct, putting everything on the line because the system had failed two girls.”

The director said that Dear Men is his attempt to create cinematic proximity to a crisis we’ve kept at arm’s length for far too long.

“It’s not polished. It’s not tied up in hope; it just sits with the truth. And maybe, on this day of all days, that’s what we need,” he added.

Dipesh Tank, Social Activist & real-life inspiration behind Dear Men shared his thoughts and said: “The first time I walked into a trafficking hotspot, I didn’t feel like a rescuer. I felt like an intruder — someone who had stumbled into a parallel world, where childhood had an expiry date. What Keith has done with Dear Men is creating urgency and awareness about this dark truth of our society that we often see as a headline.

Tank said that with the release of this film on World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, he hopes “we stop pretending the issue is far away.”

“It isn’t. It's closer than we think. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned after years of field work, it’s this: Every rescue writes a new ending. And in this fight, the only direction is forward — until no child is left behind,” he said.

Dear Men premieres on Keith Gomes' YouTube channel.

--IANS

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