I am not a feminist, I believe in a man’s world: Prernaa
I learn from males; I find them superior. I am not into that auratein mahaan hoti hain
PRERNAA ARORA PRODUCER
Prernaa Arora has steadily emerged as one of the biggest producers in Bollywood. She’s been working with stars, big-budget films and winning awards, too.
Her last movie, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, was a hit and garnered a great response from the audience and critics alike, and she continues her association with actor Akshay Kumar in the upcoming film, Padman.
Ask her what makes KriArj, [Prernaa’s production house] back such unconventional subjects, and she says, “We have aimed to make films jo bheed se alag hain, jo kabhi aaya nahi, kisi ne dare nahi kiya (we try to make films that stand out from the crowd). Akshay sir brought a revolution with Toilet... and agreed to a script, which he knew many actors had rejected. He took a big step, and we were with him in this together. Normally, people don’t believe in your films until they prove themselves at the box-office.”
Ask her if it’s any tough being a female boss in an industry which has mostly been dominated by men, she says, “I am not a feminist. I respect every man, get inspired by them, and they are my role models. You need to know your skills perfectly as a producer, the know-how of the tactics and business. I don’t think there’s any botheration if you have those skills — I learn from males; I find them superior. I am not into that auratein mahaan hoti hain. Sab mahaan hote honge, but I am someone who believes in a man’s world. I am honest.”
Talking about Padman, which is based on the life of Tamil Nadu-based man Arunachalam Muruganantham, Prernaa shares, “The plot itself — a man making and selling [lowcost] sanitary napkins in India — has never been done before, not even thought of! I, thus, believe in only that kind of cinema, which is new and refreshing. I don’t want to just make any films with mediocrity.”