We Need To Give Women An Opportunity To Showcase Their Talent: Deepshikha

A FEMALE PRODUCER WHO WEARS MANY HATS WITH EASE Women as we know wear many hats And one such person is Deepshikha Deshumkh From being a producer entrepreneur wife and a mother she has been a symbol of strength and courage to many On International Womens Day Deepshikha talks about how she juggles so many hats producing Bell Bottom during the time of Covid19 her love for nature and her idea of empowering womenWhat is the best thing about being a woman in todayrsquos worldThe best thing about being a woman is our ability to multitask and juggle various roles at home and at work with great competence I am a wife a mother a daughter a daughterinlaw a producer and an entrepreneur and like all women I play every role competentlyIt is not possible for most men to juggle as many roles with as much ease I also love the fact that we are resilient beings and bounce back no matter what life throws at us In todayrsquos world with all the new paths we are carving for ourselves I just wish we gave ourselves more time as we are always the last on our own priority listYou are a daughter wife mother producer and even an entrepreneur How do you manage to juggle so many rolesI have realised its best to not go chasing after balance Being a mother gives you superpowers and makes you a lot more organized You learn to delegate You meet your deadlines with time to spare so that you can get home fast to be with your kids and familyBut I make sure I begin and end my day with my kids I tuck them into bed every night and read to them That is our nightly ritual and I am also the first person they see when they wake up We spend all our mornings together before they head to school and then my workday starts Dhiraj my husband is also always on an extremely tight schedule and is always on the go but he too makes it a point to FaceTime the kids when he is away He spends most of the evenings at home when he is in town We have managed to create a happy home with two super happy kids who always have one of us aroundAs a producer yoursquoll were the first ones to get into the production with Bell Bottom during the pandemic Share with us what was the experience like shooting during Covid19The experience was challenging but ultimately rewarding because we pulled it off against all odds I am so grateful that in a 60day schedule the safety and the health of our unit was not once compromised We created a safety bubble and quarantined everyone before we even started the film Post the quarantine all 200 of us the entire cast and the crew only moved in that safety bubble between the set and the hotel The sets had to be sanitized and surfaces needed to be disinfected frequently Everybodys temperature levels were constantly monitored and we had to work with social distancing protocols in place The actors removed their masks only before the camera We even had our own chefs make sure that the food being served was safe and made in the bubble To keep this level of meticulous planning going Jackky my father and I made sure that the safety rules were being followed stringently We were also lucky to have a brilliant team at Pooja Entertainment and the entire production crew was really solid too We were the first film in the world to start and finish a film during the pandemic which was gratifying and made us all extra proudHow did the pandemic experience change you as a producerAs a producer the lockdown made me think long and hard about the future of our collective wellbeing as a race and as an industry This year I feel grateful that we are beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel The industry has gone back to work and to dream and create again We are releasing our films in theatres though with safety protocols in place I feel we have emerged stronger and grown even more resilient as an industry I now see cinema not just from the perspective of a producer but as a person who wants the industry to grow even more organised and prepared for contingencies And yes we must start telling new stories leave behind our comfort zone because as we found out in 2020 it doesnt existDuring the pandemic you introduced your kids towards organic farming Your motherinlaw Vaishali Deshmukh looks after the family farm in Latur Tell us a little more about itI am extremely proud and thankful to lsquoAai who manages the farm and all the produce At home I fiercely advocate healthy food and makes sure the family has enough of homegrown goodness on the table every dayI have always ensured that my children know about the basics of farming and are aware of the journey the produce undertakes before it reaches their plate They know now that good farming habits translate into healthy food If we take care of nature nature takes care of us and gives us a healthy yield Plants need loving care and we have to ensure they are nurtured in the right wayDeepshikha DeshmukhDo you think the film industry needs more women at the helmAbsolutely Why only the film industry i think alll industries need more women In the film industry We have seen the rapid growth in the way women have taken over pivotal roles in production houses in technical roles behind the camera in think tanks and in board rooms I would also like to encourage more and more women in my capacity as a producerTell us about your skincare brand Love Organically and your new line Love Veda How are you taking this initiative forwardAt Love Organically we are going to launch a lot more products in the wellness space The pandemic has made us realise how important it is to take care of our health and wellness Our skin being our largest organ we must concentrate a lot more on nourishing it and finding natural ways to keep it healthier using the knowledge of the 5000yearold scriptures of AyurvedaWe are launching Love Veda a traditional holistic product line that is tailormade to serve your lsquodosha one of the three substances present in the body For years our customers have wanted us to delve deeper and in the past year we have Once only the royalty could afford milk and honey baths or have access to exotic spices and rare herbs Wersquove taken their secrets and the knowledge as old as time to formulate just what your skin needsCan you share a few tips for upcoming women entrepreneursFrom my own experience I can say there will always be a unique set of challenges before you None of us have everything worked out for us so trust yourself and your ability to solve your own problems I want every woman to strongly believe that nothing is impossible Have faith in your dreams and dont let anyone discourage you Trust that if you work hard you will achieve anything that you want All you need is focus and selfbelief And it is okay to fail The best amongst us have failed and then risen again several times before succeeding So go ahead and chase the impossible and make it possibleAs an entrepreneur you have been conscious about the environment and used your position to champion and voice many cause Could u tell us a Little more about this I am humbled that I could bring light to some issues I try to help however I can and want to continue empowering rural women and spread awareness about climate conservation I go plasticfree on my film sets and also ensure that we donrsquot use anything toxic in our brand and try to reduce our carbon footprint as much as possible either through planting as many trees as possible or by going zero waste I want to help mother earth to flourish and teach my kids to be good caretakers of the planet because it is the only home we haveWhat is your idea of empowerment for womenIn my opinion to empower women we just have to give them a platform to speak an opportunity to showcase their talent Thats the most important thing because once you have space you can create something of value that will be judged for its merit and not for what gender you belong to Your body of work will speak for youCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke 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