MEGHNA Gulzar, the offspring of filmmaker-lyricist Gulzar and talented actress Rakhee, stakes her claim to a share of the Bollywood pie with her film Filhaal. Like other second-generation filmmakers Farhan Akhtar, Karan Johar and Rohan Sippy, Meghna seeks her own metier and endeavours successfully to present a fresh perspective.

The movie deals with a number of overlapping issues — friendship, romance, male-female relationship in the 'new age', surrogate motherhood, career and lifestyle options and the conviction to take a decision that the heart feels is correct. Thematically, the relationships appear complicated and often overlap, but Meghna deals with them deftly, yet according them the seriousness that they deserve.

Tabu and Sushmita give a fine performance in Filhaal

Like Farhan Akhtar did in his hugely successful film, Dil Chahta Hai, Meghna too delves into her own life experiences to deliver the story of Filhaal. " My sister- in-law was going through a difficult pregnancy. I watched a young couple cope with a difficult time and it showed me how fragile our lives were and how such a momentous occasion can go so wrong." But pregnancy and childbirth, the central theme of the film, and which has, probably for the first time in Hindi filmdom, been treated in a sensitive way, is not the only element to the story. Romance is looked at carefully, especially the romance that blossoms after marriage. "I find that in Hindi films romance borders on eve-teasing. Its all about possessing and acquiring the girl," says Meghna. Certainly the man-woman relationship is sensitively explored in the film.

The two protagonists here are women. Both share a deep bond, so much so that when one (Tabu) cannot have a child, the other (Sushmita) offers to undergo in-vitro fertilisation and have her friend's child for her. Taking the decision, however, is easier than going through with it because once the pregnancy is confirmed, unforeseen insecurities, issues of possession and emotional involvement crop up to complicate relationships. The scenario, which is a dream situation for the sob and sniffle brigade, is saved from melodrama, thanks to the sensitive handling. " You will make it through the film without a box of tissues," says the young filmmaker. The scene where Sushmita is ready to deliver is especially realistic, for at that point of time, the would-be mother is feeling anything but maternal and has no qualms in calling the baby rude names and generally making her discomfort felt…and not too bravely at that. A lot of mothers could may be identify with that.

Both women, though ready to do anything for the other, are separate people, with separate lifestyle aspirations. Whereas Tabu is happy to be a homemaker and obsessively craves a baby, Sushmita is a career woman, who though in love wants self-fulfillment before commitment. "I want to feel complete" is her stand and her sweetheart is expected to understand that her brand of 'completeness' is different from that of her friend's or his own. In spite of the feminine theme, declares Meghna, " I'm not a feminist, and it's not a chick-flick." It is a fact that the female characters have more definitive characters than usually found in Hindi filmdom, yet the male characters in the movie have well-etched and clearly defined roles as well, though they break away from the traditional mould.

There is a ' today' look about the movie. For one, the audience is told what the protagonists do for their living; a refreshing change from the ubiquitous 'businessman' one has to usually make do with. So while Sushmita is a fashion photographer, Sanjay Suri (cast opposite Tabu) is into garments and Palash Sen (opposite Sushmita) has set up a factory, and work is important to all these people. Secondly, the men in the film are sensitive to the needs of the women and respect their space. The women take major decisions that concern both partners and their lives. These are the 'new age men' one hears about these days, who have no qualms about donning the apron if need be.

There is another observation that one makes — the fluidity of relationships. In a relationship, there is always one person who is stronger, more giving, more tolerant and more generous than the other. There is no moral judgement here. In the film, it is Sushmita who is the giver and Tabu, the taker, and there is no one better or worse than the other. Indeed, both the actresses have done a fine job, and Sushmita has managed to hold her own against Tabu, a formidable actress.

Although Meghna denies being affected by her father's style of movie-making yet she accepts that she has picked up a few of his style elements, like the use of flashback in her film and the effective use of silence against melodrama to make her sequences more poignant. However, there are flaws in the movie. For one, a couple of songs could definitely have been done away with to make the screenplay tighter. Then there are sequences where one feels that the filmmaker is taking herself too seriously indeed and where the tone could have been lightened.

In the final analysis though, the filmmaker’s claim rings true when she declares, " I made a film I wanted to make. I haven't compromised anywhere".