Back in 2018, when I was practicing as an Advocate in the Delhi High Court, I happened to work on a few cases of NRI bride abuse. As I started researching and representing in a small capacity, the basic legal notes, like case details and sequence of events, soon led to me making a list of harrowing incidents of abuse and torture that my clients underwent.

Now in 2024, listening to the deep and thought-provoking voice of @Sevdaliza, I can’t help but feel every case note vividly. The song has neutralised all differences of colour, stature and power. Be it the most beautiful blonde woman the world has ever seen, or this NRI bride clad in red: both were seen as trophies, made headlines, and tried to escape. Every case note came to life as @Sevdaliza poured the words: “And they told me to care when trying to fix your heart, it’s unfair, I’m trying to fix myself and not care too much about you.“ Sadly, so many died a mysterious Monroe death. But this song is about the whole journey of speaking your truth just the way it feels - so I tried to show, to the best of our abilities, just how it must have felt.

I couldn’t be happier to have my students, Akshika Nagar and Anshika Chhabra, with me on this journey. We have together put in hours, love, and honesty into this piece. I’m an extremely proud teacher, and we are all extremely proud to present this labour of love to you.

As always, nothing is complete without Ajay Lama’s beautiful camera-work and editing. I cannot thank him enough for the patience and the love he bestows upon me.

And lastly, I would like to also thank IFBC Studios, where this video was shot, for always supporting my dreams and visions.

CREDITS:
Concept, Choreography & Direction: Mohnaa Shrivastava
Dancers: Akshika Nagar, Anshika Chhabra, Mohnaa Shrivastava
DOP and Editing: Ajay Lama
Animation: Mohnaa Shrivastava
Location: IFBC Studios

For more jams and other videos, visit Instagram (@mohnaa.shrivastava and @theindigocasbah).

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