Prisoners, in their physical space, need not be confined in their emotional and creative liberty. And this is being proven by female inmates of Tihar Jail in New Delhi, who have turned fashion designers for the cast of a movie called Mark Sheet.
Revealing details about the movie, leading man Imran Zahid says, “This is the first time that jail inmates will be designing costumes for a film, and we’re very proud to be 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 gotten 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 Pad Man and Toilet: Ek Prem Katha address social issues and bring about a reformatory impulse through cinema. Our film is about leaked examination papers in Bihar, and is based on true stories. Having these talented ladies from Tihar jail as our creative partners is our good fortune.”
