They say, "The night is darkest before dawn..." and it has always been a phrase used to instill hope in our minds. For debutant director Subhadra Mahajan, her first film, Second Chance, was a journey through a similar dark night, which, fortunately, found its dawn recently with a limited theatrical release. “As independent filmmakers, we struggle at every level—while we are scripting, putting our team together with hardly any resources, shooting against all the odds, finding more avenues for funding during post-production, and getting through the festival run with lots of luck. However, I was told that this kind of film would never see a theatrical release in India, as the country is not particularly known for respecting artistic or indie films. But seeing the film on the big screen left me with a feeling of disbelief, as it was a dream come true,” says Subhadra.
In Second Chance, the protagonist Nia (Dheera Johnson) goes through her own journey of healing after experiencing a major trauma. In her family’s summer retreat in the Kullu Valley, she finds friendship in the form of the seven-year-old Sunny and guidance from the 70-year-old Bhemi. Second Chance also showcases Nia’s relationship with nature, and the spiritual connection with Himachal Pradesh's Devis and Devtas. “The region of Kullu still has a strong belief in its ancient, but unique, system of worship. Since my actors and I are locals, we made sure that we gave offerings to the different deities. We sought blessings from the main deity of the valley, Hidimba Matha, because Second Chance is a very feminine film. The house where we shot the film has the prevalence of a Nag Devta, Vasuki Nag. So, completing the shoot of the film, against all odds, felt like the gods and the goddesses were on our side,” says Subhadra. Delving deeper into the film's themes, she says, “Second Chance is about healing and unlikely friendships, but nature was an important theme. We need to expand our worldview, and make friends outside the human race, too. A river or an owl can be your friend, like they were for Nia.”
Beyond its deep portrayal of grief, Second Chance is unique in dealing with the topic of abortion, which is still quite the taboo in Indian films. “As opposed to popular belief, the so-called convenience of taking a pill for terminating a pregnancy is not convenient for women at all. The havoc that the pill unleashes on a woman’s system is horrible, and it cannot be taken lightly. These pills have aftereffects or delayed effects, which was the case for Nia. India has progressive abortion laws, but it has become taboo to speak about that topic. Hence, I felt that a graphic representation of what a woman has to go through was needed to make people understand that this is not something that can be brushed under the table.”
Subhadra mentions she wants to write more about Himachal Pradesh and exhibit the distinct culture found in the different valleys of the state. For her next feature film, she returns to familiar territory by exploring the theme of unlikely friendships. “Besides unlikely friendships, it also tackles the concept of love beyond defined gender, sexuality, and orientation,” concludes Subhadra.