Indian
Women
Rising,
a
cinema
collective
founded
by
Ekta
Kapoor,
Guneet
Monga,
Tahira
Kashyap
Khurrana
and
Ruchikaa
Kapoor
Sheikh
is
collaborating
with
'Educate
Girls
USA',
an
NGO
founded
by
Safeena
Husain
to
raise
funds
for
the
two
young
leads
from
the
Oscar-contending
short
film
Bittu-Rani
and
Renu
Kumari.
The
collaboration
has
witnessed
the
support
of
Global
icon
Priyanka
Chopra
Jonas
who
gave
a
shout-out
to
the
fundraiser
event,
standing
in
solidarity
with
the
right
to
education
for
young
girls.
Bittu
explores
the
close
friendship
between
two
schoolgirls
on
a
seemingly
normal
day
at
school.
Set
against
the
backdrop
of
the
Himalayas,
Bittu
follows
the
story
of
an
eight-year-old
who
must
take
matters
into
her
own
hands
when
her
community
fails
to
protect
its
most
vulnerable.
The
film
has
garnered
critical
acclaim
and
recognition
for
its
distinct
cinematography
and
poignant
storytelling,
Bittu's
strength
is
also
it's
unconventional
casting.
The
central
characters
of
the
Bittu
and
Chand
are
played
by
first
time
performers,
who
were
cast
from
the
local
community
in
Uttarakhand
where
the
film
was
shot.
Priyanka
Chopra
Jonas
shares,
"Bittu
is
moving,
raw
and
real.
It
takes
a
devasting
incident
and
presents
it
from
a
unique
perspective.
As
soon
as
I
saw
it,
I
knew
I
wanted
to
help
give
it
the
attention
it
deserves.
It's
a
great
example
of
how
women
supporting
women
can
make
anything
possible
and
the
Indian
Women
Rising
Collective
is
proof
of
that
and
I
can't
wait
to
see
what
they
do
next.
Cinema
the
world
over
needs
more
women
to
bring
their
voices,
stories
and
perspectives
to
the
fore
and
this
is
one
step
in
that
direction.
This
fundraiser
will
help
these
2
amazing
young
girls,
Rani
&
Renu
Kumari
continue
their
education
and
pursue
all
the
dreams
and
ambitions
they
have
for
themselves
and
I
hope
that
many
will
come
forward
to
help
make
this
a
reality."
Prajakta
Koli
shares,
"It
is
my
absolute
pleasure
that
I
get
to
be
associated
with
a
beautiful
piece
of
art
like
Bittu
at
whatever
capacity.
I
have
so
much
love
for
Guneet,
Tahira
and
Ekta
for
always
telling
stories
that
touch
your
heart
in
ways
unknown.
Also,
getting
shortlisted
for
the
academy
is
a
tremendous
feat
and
I
am
so
proud
of
how
content
is
evolving
in
our
country."
Elaborating
more
on
this
Karishma
Dev
Dube,
director
of
Bittu
adds,
"This
film
exists
because
of
the
unforgettable
performances
of
Rani
Kumari
and
Renu
Kumari.
Without
our
two
young
leads,
Bittu
would
never
have
the
life
span
it
currently
does,
representing
India
on
global
platforms
such
as
the
Academy
and
the
Director's
Guild
Of
America.
Regardless
of
their
challenging
circumstances,
these
little
girls
were
consummate
professionals,
keeping
up
with
the
rigour
of
film
production.
When
you
watch
this
film,
you
will
not
be
able
to
deny
the
fact
that
Rani
and
Renu
deserve
everything,
or
at
the
very
least,
a
shot
at
life
that
provides
opportunities
that
can
help
sharpen
the
irrefutable
talent
that
already
exists
in
them.
Today,
Rani
and
Renu
like
many
other
children,
struggle
to
stay
in
class.
They
are
coming
from
a
migrant
labourer
community
who
are
especially
hard
hit
during
the
pandemic.
I
am
so
grateful
to
Educate
Girls
and
Indian
Women
Rising,
who
have
come
together
to
help
us
change
the
lives
of
these
two
incredible
children
and
their
families.
If
we
can
give
them
the
life
they
deserve,
then
it
would
be
the
best
thing
we
have
achieved
with
this
film."
Indian
Women
Rising
(IWR)
in
a
joint
statement
shared,
"Bittu
is
a
special
film
and
the
two
girls
are
its
very
soul.
The
performances
of
Rani
and
Renu
in
the
film
proved
that
each
child
is
gifted
and
just
needs
an
opportunity
to
flourish.
We
are
thrilled
to
collaborate
with
Educate
Girls
USA
and
raise
funds
to
secure
the
education
and
overall
development
of
Rani
and
Renu.
Education
is
the
basic
right
of
every
child
and
it
is
our
humble
effort
to
bring
a
tangible
change
in
the
lives
of
these
two
talented
girls."
Safeena
Husain,
Founder
of
Educate
Girls
USA,
highlighted,
"Children
need
to
get
equal
opportunities
to
access
quality
education.
With
this
collaboration,
we
are
trying
to
bring
the
vital
importance
of
investing
in
girls'
education
to
the
forefront.
It
is
the
best
investment
the
world
can
make
as
it
positively
impacts
9
sustainable
development
goals,
including
health,
nutrition,
employment,
even
climate
change.
This
investment
also
helps
break
the
intergenerational
cycle
of
poverty,
patriarchy
and
illiteracy
as
an
educated
girl
is
more
than
twice
as
likely
to
educate
her
children."
The
fundraiser
is
scheduled
for
5th
March
2021
and
will
be
moderated
by
digital
sensation
Prajakta
Koli,
who
was
seen
in
the
recently
released
web
show
"Mismatched".
While
the
fundraiser
will
prominently
emphasize
the
importance
of
girls'
education,
it
also
aims
to
raise
awareness
about
its
related
advantages
on
the
overall
development
of
the
girl
child,
including
confidence,
health
and
hygiene,
her
agency
to
decision
making
and
empowerment.
About
Indian
Women
Rising:
Indian
Women
Rising
is
a
Cinema
Collective
meant
to
discover,
nurture
and
shine
the
spotlight
on
the
Indian
female
talent
in
cinema
across
the
world.
Spearheaded
by
four
prolific
women
&
industry
stalwarts,
Ekta
Kapoor,
Guneet
Monga,
Tahira
Kashyap
Khurrana
and
Ruchikaa
Kapoor
Sheikh,
this
passion
project
is
born
with
the
sole
purpose
of
disrupting
the
status
quo
and
amplifying
the
voice
of
Indian
female
filmmakers
because
now
content
is
Queen!
The
collective
truly
believes
that
when
one
woman
shines,
she
opens
the
doors
for
many
more
-
It's
time,
women
enable
women.
ABOUT
EDUCATE
GIRLS
USA:
Founded
in
2014,
Educate
Girls
USA
is
a
nonprofit
organization
that
focuses
on
mobilizing
resources
to
support
girls'
education
in
rural
and
educationally
marginalized
areas
to
ensure
that
all
girls
are
in
school
and
learning
well.
Educate
Girls
USA
partners
with
and
supports
credible
organizations
on
the
ground
that
identify,
enrol
and
retain
out-of-school
girls,
and
improve
foundational
skills
in
literacy
and
numeracy
for
all
children.
For
more
information:
alison.bukhari@educategirls.ngo