On the occasion of Women's Entrepreneurship Day on 19 November, the film will be available to watch for four days on Cinemapreneur part of the Her&Now campaign.
Ritu Goes Online review: A life-affirming story about countering patriarchal mindsets
Cinestaan Rating
Release Date: 31 Oct 2020
Sukhpreet Kahlon | New Delhi, 20 Nov 2020 21:10 IST
Directed by Vrinda Samartha, Ritu Goes Online is a documentary short that traces the entrepreneurial journey of Ritu Kaushik, a regular homemaker from the state of Haryana, which is infamously plagued by a skewed sex ratio, female foeticide and violence against women.
The young and determined Kaushik wishes to pursue her passion for handbags and turn it into a business. But along the way, she has to counter the ossified, patriarchal mindset of society in order to achieve her goal.
The film begins with some statistics about women entrepreneurs in Haryana, placing the work of Kaushik in its context. Although she wears a ghoonghat (veil) and fulfils the duties expected of her, Kaushik is an entrepreneur, having founded Ritupal Creations, which supplies handbags. Though her journey has not been an easy one, she is encouraged by her husband as she begins her business from home and slowly expands it. The title refers to the moment that enables her to take her business online and grow it.
Ritu Goes Online is an affirmative film that highlights the mindsets that women have to constantly navigate in order to carve out a space for themselves. Kaushik, who starts her business from scratch, serves as a beacon of hope for women who aspire to follow unconventional paths.
On the occasion of Women's Entrepreneurship Day on 19 November, the film will be available to watch for four days on Cinemapreneur as part of the Her&Now campaign. The film was one of four films that received a grant under this programme.