The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in 2016 enlisted more than 8,000 reported cases of human trafficking in India. Figuring fourth on that list—after West Bengal, Rajasthan and Gujarat—is the populous state of Maharashtra, with as many as 517 cases. It was that year, in April, that producer-turned-director Tabrez Noorani started shooting his long-gestating film, Love Sonia, which follows the story of a Maharashtrian village girl determined to rescue her sister from the organised flesh trade.
“In 2003, I encountered an Indian girl who was trafficked to Los Angeles. She had already been to Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai and Shenzhen (in China) before landing in LA. I came to realise it was a case of global sex trafficking that was unfolding at a massive scale. Her story sucked me into this world of brutal exploitation. I started my research by visiting a lot of NGOs and working with them. I accompanied policemen on raids and studied the rehabilitation process of rescued girls,” says Tabrez.
According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), five million people—99 percent of them, women and girls—were victims of forced sexual exploitation in 2016. “The usual suspects are poverty, lack of education, refugee situations and so on. Most of these victims (70 percent for sex trade and 50 percent for labour) come from the Asia-Pacific region—India being a key centre,” notes Tabrez.
In the film, 26-year-old Mrunal Thakur plays the titular role of Sonia, a village girl who travels from India to Hong Kong to LA in search of her sister. The former television actor was picked out of 2,500 candidates after an arduous audition process. For research, Mrunal visited the red-light districts of Kolkata and interacted with young girls living there. “I needed to be mentally prepared to enter such a dark reality. My character, Sonia, is a naïve girl, who doesn’t realise she is perceived to be voluptuous. She is ready to cross all barriers to find her sister. It was an intense character and this subject needs urgent attention,” Mrunal says.
Actor Adil Hussain, who plays Sonia’s father in the film, plays the “film’s most conflicted character”. “He is a poor man compelled by circumstance to send off his daughter to an unknown world. During our research, we discovered many such cases where the father either didn’t know or didn’t want to know. On a societal level, there’s a deep-set patriarchy that regards women as second-class citizens,” says Adil.
Human trafficking in India is an organised crime, with sophisticated mafia networks overseeing the recruitment, transportation and harbouring of captured individuals. And Mumbai is a prime destination.
Manoj Bajpayee has played the role of one such recruiter—a lecherous gangster named Faizal. “It is one of the most obnoxious and evil characters I have ever played. All my female fans will hate me after watching the film.”
Love Sonia has been described as a bleak and harrowing film in many reviews. About the film’s realism, international actor Freida Pinto says, “I have seen many films on trafficking but Love Sonia is the most authentic one. For example, even the costume designer was under strict instructions to source real costumes from shops around Mumbai brothels.”
Besides the illustrious Indian cast (which also includes Anupam Kher, Rajkummar Rao, Riya Sisodiya and Sai Tamhankar), Love Sonia boasts of Hollywood artists like Demi Moore and Mark Duplass.
Alongside the theatrical release on September 14, special screenings of Love Sonia were hosted by Richa Chadha in small towns across India. The 29-year-old actor, who essays a brothel owner in the film, says, “We need to empower children at grassroots level. The film captures a bleak reality, but it is also an attempt to spread hope.”