Recently a film was screened called Putul. A lovely girl, surrounded by the fragments of her parents’ broken relationships. The film has been in the news since its screening at Jagran Film Festival 2025. There are many stories of broken families, but this story is special because it is told from the perspective of a seven-year-old girl. Vivek Mishra spoke in detail to the film’s director, Radhe Shyam Pipalwa on the idea of the film and the story behind its making. Here are the excerpts:
. How did the idea of Putul come about?
We had not even heard the name of divorce in our childhood, in our family or in the surrounding society. But today in our society you will see broken families everywhere. The divorce rate, which used to be three to five percent just a few years ago, has today increased to fifteen to twenty percent. That’s why I think this is a very sensitive issue, which is not discussed openly, which should be the case. This should also be seen from the perspective of what effect it has especially on the small children of that family. I wanted my story to speak for itself, so that the topic could be discussed from this perspective. There should be a debate on why this is happening.
. According to you, what is the reason behind this?
Earlier this was blamed on mismatched marriages, lack of education or economic reasons. But today divorce is happening even in such families where people are educated, financially prosperous, marriage has also taken place of their own free will. Then a major reason for this appears to be that today the structure of society and family is broken. Building a life with a family and children is not something you can do alone. Raising children and raising them with right values is not within the control of any one person. Today the generation that is getting married and settling down does not have the experience and guidance of their elders. Today there are no grandparents at home. Without experience, sacrifice and patience, a family cannot run; you cannot take the responsibility of children while doing your work. Settling up a home is not just about renting a room for two people and starting to live together in it. It is much more than that. This is a way of living, which is missing today, its education is missing somewhere. I think, symbiosis and co-existence should be taught to everyone with respect.
. What are the challenges faced in making a film on such a subject?
The biggest challenge is that producer support is not easily available for such subjects. Making a film with a social message in a time of sex, violence, romance and thrill is a risky business. But in this case, I was lucky that I had the support of my team, my producer Sharad, such a senior D.O.P of the industry. Got full support from Sunil Patel and my star cast. Today, many of my seniors, who were also my mentors, when they saw the film, said that in today’s time, eight out of ten people, despite wanting to, shy away from making a film on such a subject, but you made it, it is a big thing. And now the way the audience is supporting us, it is strengthening the belief that even today people want to watch good and sensible content.
. What are your further plans?
In the changing times, the changing status of women in the society and still the same old attitude of some people towards them troubles me a lot, there is a story on this, Haniyaan, which talks about women’s struggle and self-respect of women power, I am working on it. Besides, I am working on the topic like increasing depression among the youth in the society and suicide due to it, which talks about our mind and our relationship with nature. If we are not able to create a right relationship with our mind and nature and environment, then neither we nor this earth will be safe. Apart from these, issues related to national security and conspiracies of the neighboring country also come up like bunker on which work is going on. See what comes up first.
