Farida Jalal starrer short film 'Mehram' co-produced by the two deals with the custom of a ‘Mehram’ accompanying women to Hajj.
Under the Saudi Arabian laws, women without a ‘Mehram’ (a male blood relative) are forbidden to perform the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. ‘Mehram’ is an extraordinary story of Aamna (played by Farida Jalal) who decides to stand up to the patriarchal system to claim her right to perform the Hajj. Does she succeed in her efforts is what forms the rest of the film.
Interestingly, the producers of the film will be filing a Petition to encourage more dialogues and discussion on this practice.
Commenting on the petition, Gaurav Bhardwaj who is the Executive producer of this film says, "It is the team’s aim to contribute to society that led us go a step further. We decided to start a petition in order to invite more participation and discussion on this topic. It’s taken thousands of years for women to finally be allowed to travel to Mecca and practice their #RightToPray albeit in groups. After the change in the seat of the Saudi throne, women beyond 45 are now allowed to travel in group, with an NoC from a Mehram. It still largely restricts her basic rights. We hope that our creative efforts and support can help the authorities in taking more positive steps towards this direction.”
Apart from Farida Jalal, the film also stars Rajit Kapur and Sushma Sethi in pivotal roles.The film is written and directed by Zain Anwar