Maujj Joy Teenaa Kaur

Joy

Hindi

Teenaa Kaur

91 9920359512 | teenaakaur@gmail.com

Synopsis

Rani is a practicing farmer in Punjab. Her husband Balwant is a druggist who does nothing but pesters her for money. Rani thinks things will change once they have a child. Her childhood sweetheart, Harnam returns to the village after a decade and starts farming.

Rani’s life takes a turn when she is detected with breast cancer and has to undergo a mastectomy. She is devastated but Balwant doesn’t care for her. Harnam strengthens her and encourages her to go for treatment. Rani travels to the nearest town for treatment. She meets other breast cancer survivors in a sharing circle. The women sing songs and share their lives. In a sharing circle, two women share their stories of how in adverse circumstances, they asserted themselves and stood firm. Rani is becoming aware and inspired.

A chain of events happens and she wants to know about organic farming. Harnam explains how chemical fertilizers can cause cancer. Rani feels guilty and wants to change her farming practices. But Balwant wants her to continue to earn money. Eventually, she gathers the courage to say no to chemical fertilizers and also no to the abuse that she has been taking in her marriage.

Writer’s Statement

I am a breast cancer survivor since 2018 and am healthy now. I realized women in India don’t have a connection with their bodies. Women’s health is often ignored due to shame around breast and cancer. That is why breast cancer is detected late and sometimes in the last stages.

I want to normalize breast cancer by portraying it in my films. A love story set in Punjab of a young farmer who is detected with breast cancer and slowly stops taking abuse in her relationship and turns down chemical fertilizers to adopt organic ways of farming with the help of her friend.

The film is about converting one’s challenges into opportunities to move forward in life. The subject is intense but the treatment is lighthearted. Just like the spirit of Punjab, the film is energetic and young.

Biography

Teenaa Kaur Pasricha is a national awardwinning filmmaker, screenwriter fellow from Asia Society NY and a TEDX speaker. She won a fellowship in screenplay writing from Time Warner Foundation, Asia Society, New York for her debut feature film script The Red Autumn. She is known for her popular film 1984, When the Sun Didn’t Rise (National Film Award for Best Investigative Film). She was selected as an international leader on films for social change fellowship granted by the US Dept. of Cultural Affairs in 2020 wherein she networked with the independent film community in the US and Sundance Film festival. She has fifteen years of experience in documentary films and media especially on human rights and environment conservation. Her films have been broadcast on National Geographic, Fox History, DD and endorsed by AND Fund, Busan International Film Festival, Docwok by DOC Leipzig Germany, and PSBT India.