Devi first look: Kajol, Neha Dhupia, Shruti Haasan lead a strong all-female ensemble

Filmmaker Priyanka Banerjee’s upcoming short film Devi has an amazing all-female cast led by Kajol, Neha Dhupia, and Shruti Haasan. They are joined by actresses Mukta Barve, Rama Joshi, Sandhya Mhatre, Yashaswini Dayama, Shivani Raghuvanshi, and Neena Kulkarni.

The short, Banerjee’s directorial debut, is produced Niranjan Iyengar and Ryan Stephen for Large Short Films, and also featured a largely female crew.

The actresses have donned costumes of women from all walks of life. While Kajol looks a typical housewife, Dhupia and Haasan are seen in modern avatars. Barve is wearing a burqa, while Joshi, Mhatre, Dayama, and Kulkarni are in more traditional Indian avatars. Shivani Raghuvanshi seems to be playing a doctor or a technician.

Devi will feature the nine actresses as oppressed women from different strata of society, according to a report in Mid-day.com.

"I couldn't have chosen a better subject for my first short film,” Kajol told Mid-day. “My character, Jyoti, is vastly different from me, but uncannily, we share a lot of similarities. In today's times when gender discrimination, abuse, and violence is being spoken about vociferously, films like Devi are far more relevant.