A film by Anandana Kapur
52 min, English with subtitles, 2017-2018
‘A look at the lives and loves of women private detectives in India’
Even though the profession is illegal in India, love for adventure and economic mobility draws women across social milieux into playing a detective in the now burgeoning surveillance industries. Even though popular culture, books, films, and lore celebrate men who deduce, spy and solve, women have always been part of the game. ‘Jasoosni’ lifts the veil of invisibility long enough to reveal the women in the business of intelligence. From a newbie in her twenties to a retiree who battled prejudice to become India's first known woman detective, they help string together a spoken history of women who've made the quintessential unconventional career choice.
Anandana Kapur is founder director, CINEMAD India. An award-winning filmmaker, she has worked extensively on films and social change initiatives focussed on oral cultures, gender equity, human rights, and social innovation. Anandana's writing explores the history of cinema, local media practices, and culture. She also teaches courses on activist cinema in academic institutions and community outreach forums. A recipient of the Fulbright and Indo-Canadian Shastri Institute fellowships, Anandana's work has received critical acclaim in India and overseas. She often curates film festivals and is also a jury member for national and international film festivals. Some of her other notable films are ‘The Great Indian Jugaad’, ‘Much Ado About Knotting’, and ‘Blood On My Hands’. Her latest works include ‘Aayi Gayi’, a film that examines electricity policy in Bihar and an interactive documentary, ‘Aashiyaan’ featuring domestic workers and homemakers in Delhi.
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