Actress Manukriti Pahwa, the daughter of veteran actors Seema Pahwa and Manoj Pahwa, is making her film debut with 'Ye Mard Bechara' which also features her mother Seema.Manukriti says the film intends to deliver a message on gender equality by breaking the stereotype on toxic masculinity.Being a theatre actress on the Mumbai theatre circuit, this is the first time Manukriti not only made her screen debut but also worked with her mother in the film.Talking about her character in the film, Manukriti told IANS: "I am playing a girl from Haryana named Shivalika. Even though she is from a small town, she has quite a modern outlook towards life as she understands what social pressure her husband or any man goes through in a patriarchal society.
So she believes that if we want certain equality in our society, we also have to understand the expectation and pressure a man also goes through because he is a 'man'. She tries to change the conversation there. In fact, that is the core of our film 'Ye Mard Bechara'."After playing some of the much-loved characters of on-screen mothers to Bhumi Pednekar and Kriti Sanon in films like 'Shubh Mangal Saavdhan' and 'Bareilly Ki Barfi' respectively, now that she will be seen as an on-screen mother to her real-life daughter, Seema shared how the feeling is very different.
"Firstly in this film I am playing a mother who is also a mother-in-law. So it has a dual shade in the same character. Since this is the debut of my daughter, I quite have that nervousness of a typical mother before their children go for a big exam! Look, I know how good she is as an actress but it does not end there. An actor becomes a successful one, by the love and appreciation from the audience. In stage plays, we get reactions instantly. In films, we have reviews, collections etc. I am waiting for that reaction from the audience for my daughter," shared Seema.The film is directed by Annup Thapa, and it also features Veeraj Rao, Manikk Choudhari, Bijendra Kala, Atul Srivastav and Sapna Sand.'Ye Mard Bechara' releases in theatre on November 19.