Prisoners in their physical space need not be confined in their creative and emotional liberty. This is being proven by the female inmates of Tihar jail in Delhi who have turned fashion designers for the entire cast of a film called Mark Sheet.
The film’s lead actor Imran Zahid reveals, “This is the first time that jail inmates will be designing costumes for a film, and we are very proud to be a part of this radical step towards rehabilitation. The Tihar authorities set up a fashion lab in 2017 for the female inmates and that’s how they learnt to design clothes. Our film’s designer Winkie Singh has got these talented women to make our clothes.”
This unique experiment in rehabilitation comes at a time when the link between Bollywood and social awakening is growing by the day.
Says Imran, “We’ve seen how recent films like PadMan and Toilet: Ek Prem Katha addressed social issues and brought about a reformatory impulse through cinema. Our film Mark Sheet is about leaked examination papers in Bihar. It’s based on facts. Having these talented ladies from Tihar jail as our creative partners is our good fortune.”
