Top film producer Prashita Chaudhary on her newest film, female empowerment and the importance of breast milk.

Entrepreneur, philanthropist, mother. These are just a few words that describe world-renowned film producer Prashita Chaudhary, who has landed in Dubai for a screening of her newest film.

Best known for her work on The Congress, an animated science fiction drama selected to open the Directors Fortnight section at the 66th Cannes Film Festival, Chaudhary spoke to Emirates Woman after the screening of brand-new biopic, Tigers, at The Scene Club.

Tigers, directed by Academy Award winner Danis Tanović, is the compelling true story of a Pakistani pharmaceutical salesman who takes on a multinational corporation (that appears under a pseudonym in the film) after realising they knowingly marketed a formula milk responsible for the deaths of millions of babies.

And it’s not just a Pakistani story, says Chaudhary – “it’s about all third world countries”.

“These mothers are coming from working class backgrounds and formula milk is convenient. Formula milk is no comparison to a mother’s milk and multinational corporations don’t make that obvious enough.”

The cause of the babies’ illness is down to mothers diluting the powder with filthy water to make an affordable and quick alternative to breast milk. The multinational bribed physicians and pharmacists into promoting their products which do not offer newborns the vital immunity found in breast milk. Children then fell ill from waterborne diseases and had no way of fighting the illnesses.

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At one point in time, the corporation responsible for marketing this baby formula could have taken legal action against the filmmakers for defamation. Yet, Prashita says,“everything in this film is completely true and we can prove it”.

Although Tigers holds a powerful message about the dangers of diluting formula in dirty water, Chaudhary believes that there’s still a long way to go in educating women on the advantages of breastfeeding.

“It’s a continual tragedy. There are babies dying even still and that’s why this film is so important,” she said.

“This is not a story that can be written in a book only to be heard by a well-educated few. This story has to be in a format that third-world women can access and respond to. Not every third-world mother has the ability to read a book or watch the news.”

Prashita Chaudhary

Chaudhary believes Tigers will “go viral” thanks to its important message, saying the response to the film so far has been “hugely promising”.

“We’re not here to go against anybody but to inform the public of what is the right thing to do to save the lives of millions of babies.”

However breastfeeding isn’t the only issue Chaudhary is passionate about – she’s also a huge champion of independent film, and of gender equality in the industry.

“It’s a huge challenge being a woman in a male-dominated industry. Women need to get together to change inequality,” she said.

“Companies within the film industry are heavily male. That’s something I’m trying to work on. Now that I’m in the UAE I’m trying to band together with some amazing women to do big things.”

For fellow women looking to break into filmmaking, Chaudhary’s best tip is to “always go with your gut feeling”.

“Just create what you want, not what everyone is telling you to want. That is how you’ll get the right product.”

Chaudhary is now preparing to direct her first feature film next year, and it’s going to be set in a very exciting location.

“It will be shot entirely in the UAE,” the producer divulged. “It will be about the death of one of my closest friends. It’s her story as it came to me.

“I can’t give too much away now but it will be another film that will save countless lives.”

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Words: Jemma Carr
Images: Supplied/Twitter/Prashita Chaudhary/Getty