How did your first meeting with Sampat Pal (the formidable women’s rights activist at the centre of Pink Saris) go?
The meeting went fine! Sampat is very clear that publicity protects her and also enables her to pressure the police and local authorities to get things done. You can see throughout the film that she uses press articles about her as a way of showing her power. For example, in one case, she leans over the counter and shows the police officer the previous day’s paper, saying ‘Look, I’m in the paper!’ – meaning ‘I’m someone important now, you have to take me seriously’.
