Rarely has a steel tea-cup been used to such great effect. Or for that matter, a glass cabin, as Konkona Sensharma stands outside, looking in at the world she’ll probably never be a part of. With her character at the centre, director Neeraj Ghaywan has woven a delectable tale of queer love, gender, and caste conflict, showing how one influences the other — sometimes subtly, and at other times, brazenly — in Ajeeb Daastaans. 
  
Ghaywan’s first feature film, Masaan (2015), too explored the rampant caste divide in our society. Asked if the country has come a long way since then, he says, “I feel things are the same since Masaan. My idea was not to address a particular subaltern, but to look at everything in the context of intersectionality. In Geeli Pucchi [his short film], you also see patriarchy, gender, caste and class.”

Neeraj Ghaywan