CHENNAI : Long after the ‘happily married’ tag has lost its essence, many cling to broken marriages for the wrong reasons — to save family reputation, for the sake of society, for parents’ happiness, etc. However, Nisha Retnamma, a former journalist and the founder of Chinar Global Academy in Dubai, believes that it is high time people embrace the idea of a happily divorced life. Her documentary, Happily Divorced, brings this topic to the forefront of social discussions.
“Society shuns the idea of divorce. Unfortunately, we are conditioned to think that a happy marriage is about having a ‘perfect’ family comprising a partner and kids. Even if a person feels like they have attained a great sense of happiness after separation, it is hard for many to tell society that they are finally leading a fulfilled life. It is all because of the stereotype associated with divorce,” says Nisha.
The 26-minute documentary revolves around the lives of three women living in different parts of the world — Dubai, Kerala, and New Zealand — and the life they lead at present after overcoming the struggles of a broken marriage. “The story is not about three women talking about their past. Instead, they are seen travelling the world, achieving their dreams, and in the process, exploring more about themselves,” says Nisha. The documentary was also partly inspired by her own experiences of having walked out of a 14-year-old broken marriage. “I was never happy in that relationship. I continued to cling to it due to the unending demands from my family, to safeguard their reputation, for the sake of society. The list was long. People didn’t think separation could make me happy. The fact is, divorce was sort of a revelation for me,” Nisha says.
Indeed. Divorce rekindled her creativity and paved the way to peace of mind, happiness, and an abundance of energy. “We all have potential, but it tends to get dampened when there is an underlying sadness. There was uncertainty in my marriage. I realised that having peace of mind was crucial. The divorce was a way of letting go of things that stopped me from becoming who I truly am,”she says.
The three women featured in the documentary have a past that’s different from each other. One shares about a marriage that gave her nothing but physical abuse, another highlights emotional abuse, and the third talks about how she had to walk away when the equation between her child and second husband wasn’t working out.
Happily Divorced received mixed responses shortly after its launch in Sharjah on November 25. The 44-year-old also had the idea of casting divorced men. “Divorce isn’t solely a woman’s problem. It affects men, too. However, it often gets portrayed as the second stint of their bachelor life. No one really cares about the life they lead. However, women who are separated undergo a lot of social scrutiny. Which is why I finally decided to tell the story of just women,” Nisha adds, hoping to screen the documentary at upcoming film festivals as well.