Rohena Gera, born in 1973, is an Indian director, screenwriter and producer.
Biography
Rohena Gera studied at
Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
and
Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College (SLC) is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York, United States. Founded as a Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in 1926, Sarah Lawrence College has been coeducational ...
. She works as a scriptwriter for
Indian cinema
The cinema of India, consisting of motion pictures made by the Indian film industry, has had a large effect on world cinema since the second half of the 20th century. Indian cinema is made up of various film industries, each focused on p ...
. She also engages in non-profit campaigns to defend peace and equality.
Gera was married to
Rohan Sippy
Rohan Sippy is an Indian film director and producer, he worked as a director in films like ''Kuch Naa Kaho'' (2003), ''Bluffmaster!'' (2005), ''Dum Maaro Dum (film), Dum Maaro Dum'' (2011) and ''Nautanki Saala'' (2013).
Early life
He is the ...
, who also went to Stanford and is now a screenwriter. They got divorced in 2003.
Works
In 2003, Rohena Gera made her screenwriting debut for the first season of the Indian comedy-drama television series ''
Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin
''Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin'' () is an Indian soap opera which aired on Sony TV from 1 September 2003 to 4 May 2006. The series was an Indian-themed version of the Colombian drama ''Yo soy Betty, la fea''.
Plot
Based largely on the show, ''Yo s ...
'' on
Sony Entertainment Television
Sony Entertainment Television (abbreviated as SET) is an Indian Hindi-language general entertainment pay television channel that was launched in 1995 and is owned by Culver Max Entertainment, a division of Sony Pictures.
History
This chann ...
.
In 2003 she independently produced the public service advertisements featuring 16 celebrities including Zakir Husain, Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar, Aamir Khan, Ashutosh Gowariker, and M.F. Husain, all coming together to say "Stop the hatred" and to fight hate propaganda after the Gujarat riots.
In 2013, Rohena Gera wrote and directed her first documentary ''What's Love Got to Do with It?'' The film shows a funny representation of urban and privileged Indians who reconcile with expectations about love, marriage, happiness and tradition. The story mixes the stories of eight unlikely candidates who are each in line for an arranged marriage, playing with the rules that often reinforce the status quo of class, caste and
gender
Gender is the range of social, psychological, cultural, and behavioral aspects of being a man (or boy), woman (or girl), or third gender. Although gender often corresponds to sex, a transgender person may identify with a gender other tha ...
. The director takes an intimate look at the human quest for love and happiness, capturing social obligations or pressures within the Indian family. The documentary is selected at the Mumbai Film Festival.
Rohena Gera presented her film ''
Sir
''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part ...
(Monsieur)'' during the
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world.
Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...
2018, in the selection of
La Semaine de la Critique
Critics' Week (), until 2008 called International Critics' Week ('), is a parallel section to the Cannes Film Festival organized by the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics.
History
Critics' week was created in 1962, after the French Syndicate of ...
. The story is about a servant, Ratna who is working in the luxurious house of Ashwin and dreams of independence. Ratna and Ashwin fall in love but Ratna breaks the relationship foreseeing it unacceptable to the society. Two opposing worlds will have to live together. The film is supported by the Gan Foundation for Cinema, whose Broadcast Award supports the first works of young filmmakers.
Filmography
Director
* 2013 : ''What's Love Got to Do with It ?''
* 2018 : ''
Sir
''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part ...
''
Writer
* ''
Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin
''Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin'' () is an Indian soap opera which aired on Sony TV from 1 September 2003 to 4 May 2006. The series was an Indian-themed version of the Colombian drama ''Yo soy Betty, la fea''.
Plot
Based largely on the show, ''Yo s ...
'' (season 1)
* ''
Kuch Naa Kaho
''Kuch Naa Kaho'' (Hindi: कुछ ना कहो, translation: ''Don't Say Anything'') is a 2003 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by Rohan Sippy (in his directorial debut), starring Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan and Arb ...
'' (2003)
* ''
Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic
''Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic'' (transl. ''A Little Love, A Little Magic'') is a 2008 Indian Hindi-language fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Kunal Kohli and produced by Aditya Chopra under the Yash Raj Films banner. The film stars Saif Ali Khan ...
'' (2008)
* ''What's Love Got to Do with It ?'' (2013)
* ''Sir'' (2018)
Awards
*Cannes film festival, Semaine de la critique, Gan foundation award, SIR (Monsieur)
*Grand Jury award, International film festival of Saint Jean de Luz (execo), SIR (Monsieur)
*Audience favourite award, International film festival of Saint Jean de Luz, SIR (Monsieur)
*Best film, New York Indian Film Festival, SIR
*Best actress, New York Indian Film Festival, Tillotama Shome (SIR)
*Mill Valley Film Festival, California, Audience Favorite Gold (World cinema independent), Sir
*Birmingham Indian Film Festival (UK), Audience Favourite Award (Sir)
*Braunschweig Film Festival (Germany): Audience Choice Award SIR (Die Schneiderin der Traume)
*World Cinema Amsterdam Festival, Audience Choice Award, SIR
*Cabourg Film Festival (France), Audience Choice Award SIR (Monsieur)
*Best Film, Dallas Fort Worth South Asian Film Festival, SIR
*Best Director, Dallas Fort Worth South Asian Film Festival, Rohena Gera (Sir)
*Best Actor, Dallas Fort Worth South Asian Film Festival, Vivek Gomber (Sir)
*Brussels International Film Festival, Best Actress, Tillotama Shome (Sir)
*Festival Version Originale (France): Audience Favourite Award SIR (Monsieur)
*Festival du Cinéma de la FOA (France): Audience Favourite Award SIR (Monsieur)
*Filmfare award for Best Screenplay (India)
*Filmfare award for Best Actress, Critics Choice (India) for Tillotama Shome
References
12. https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/rohena-gera-sir-jassi-jaissi-koi-nahin-5239961/
External links
Rohena Geraon
IMDb
IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...
Rohena Geraon
AlloCiné
AlloCiné is an entertainment website founded by Jean-David Blanc in 1988, then joined by Patrick Holzman. It has belonged to the company since 2013 Webedia. which specializes in providing information on French cinema, mostly centering on nove ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gera, Rohena
1973 births
Living people
Indian women film producers
Hindi-language film directors
Indian women screenwriters
Indian documentary filmmakers
21st-century Indian people
Women documentary filmmakers