Film like 'Parched' cannot be made by man: Surveen Chawla

Mumbai: Surveen Chawla, one of the leading ladies of "Parched", feels director Leena Yadav has beautifully weaved in female emotions in the upcoming movie.

"Parched", a bittersweet tale of three rural women, will have its premiere tonight in the Special Presentations section at the ongoing Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) before it releases in India.

The movie has been co-produced by Bollywood superstar Ajay Devgn. Surveen considers it as a positive sign that a female-oriented film has been backed by a man. "For this film ('Parched') you need to have somebody, who is sensitive. In my knowledge, it cannot be made by a man. The flag bearer or captain of the ship has to be a woman. But when a man is supporting the film, it shows how their mentality is changing towards women. It's a positive sign," Surveen told PTI.

The 31-year-old "Hate Story 2" actress is excited to attend the film's premiere at an international festival after her last Bollywood outing "Ugly" had its screening at the Cannes.

"I am excited that we will be getting a great honour at the TIFF. This is my second time at an international film festival. I feel lucky that my films get premiered at festivals. I will be walking the red carpet too."

In the film, her character is interrelated with the roles of other two women, played by Tannishtha Chatterjee and Radhika Apte.

"My character is not independent of the other two. They are all dependant. One can even see both the other characters in my role. All three characters are so layered... It's the beautiful journey of three women, who also happen to be friends," she said.

Chandigarh-based Surveen started her showbiz journey with daily soap "Kahin To Hoga" followed by her stint as a host in TV show.

She made her film debut with a Kannada movie and later also appeared in Punjabi and Bollywood films. The actress said she always look out for performance-driven roles.

"I was never desperate to make my debut in Bollywood. I admit that 'Hate Story 2' did come across as a erotic thriller because the way it was promoted, where I didn't have a say as a newcomer..."This was probably the only film of mine which had got titillation. Rest of my films did well only on the basis of strong script and performance."