Films such as “Parched” are garnering greater attention recently. For example, the Academy Award winning short documentary “A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness" depicts a similar situation. Although “Parched” is not a documentary, it is based on real life characters Yadav met in a small village. We identify with these women as Yadav tells an emotionally fluid story, allowing the viewers’ eyes to be opened and minds to be enlightened.
Yadav explained that “this is a problem of humanity.” These characters portray women who were married off at 15 and then dedicated their lives to their husbands and their children only to later ask, “What have I done for myself?” It’s a cycle and “Parched” takes a direct and raw look at how to break it. Yadav continued, “It’s always the woman who is sacrificing. Running a house is a bigger job than anyone can imagine and there’s no value to it. It’s conditioning over the generations...If you are not allowed to be true to who you are, then there is frustration.” She emphasized that both the men and women are hurt in this situation and both genders need to undergo a healing process. It’s truly a uniquely compassionate perspective.