Director’s Statement
About half a million women in the US live life as dependents of their highly regarded, skilled immigrant husbands. More than 90% of these women are college educated. Often leaving a promising career in their home country, these young women immigrate with their husbands in search of a better life in the land of opportunities. However, restrictive dependent visa rules and policies stop them from working, forcing them at home in a depressing lonely life, fully dependent on their husbands. Though talented and skilled often at par with their husbands, many women continue in that state for years, sometimes till they pass the prime of their lives. Eligibility to work comes at some point. But the lost years force some to settle with much lesser choices, while others accept fate and never pursue a career again.
Through this film “Bike”, I have tried to show this largely unheard struggle of young women as they start navigating their immigrant lives in a country which is very alien and different from their expectations.
My aim is that this film will give some light to this inequality and plight of many talented young women. May be, it will be able to ignite some hope in their minds to become stronger and generate the lost self respect and confidence.
Stills
Trailer
Team
Kaustuv Mukherjee: Kaustuv has personally experienced this struggle of women among friends and acquaintances. Deeply troubled by this issue, he wrote the script deriving inspiration from personal experiences of this inequality and mental depression. Kaustuv is a self taught filmmaker and has created a few short films. However, he considers this attempt as his first serious project to create a meaningful film which has the potential to create hope. With a low budget of self funding, Kaustuv gathered a team of individuals who share the same values. Kaustuv has written the screenplay, directed and edited the film. His daughter Ahana Mukherjee, helped in all aspects of this film including operating the camera and pull focusing when Kaustuv was acting.
Debapriya Sengupta: Debapriya has acted in theaters and plays for the last 10 years. She was the perfect fit for the role of Riya’s friend. She researched her role quite a bit – a woman who probably has experienced this struggle herself tries to help another woman to step into this world.
Meghna Banerjee: Meghna has experienced this struggle of dependent visa holder women, herself. She could impersonate Riya and portray Riya’s problems the best way possible.