Holy Curse, written and directed by Snigdha Kapoor and executive produced by award-winning actress, writer and gender equality advocate Lilly Singh, is a 16-minute coming-of-age drama exploring themes of gender identity, cultural policing and the quiet violence of patriarchal family expectations.
The plot follows Radha (Mrunal Kashid), an 11-year-old girl visiting her family in India from the US. Radha is non-conforming to traditional gender norms, leading her misguided family to believe she is possessed by an ancestral male spirit or “generational curse”. Radha’s final act of rebellion — which has shock value but is treated with winning subtlety — enables her to reclaim her space and identity.
Holy Curse has received several awards on the festival circuit, including top honours at the Tasveer Film Festival and the Best Narrative Short Jury Prize at The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival. Over a video call, t2 chatted with Lilly and Snigdha.
What kind of audiences has Holy Curse resonated the most with?
Snigdha Kapoor: The film has touched a wide section of viewers, especially those who don’t fit in the binary world or those who have been at the receiving end of patriarchy. It also includes those who are sometimes on the side of patriarchy, but don’t necessarily align with it. All of them have shared how strongly they resonated with the subject and the overall themes of the film. This has not only been from India, but from all parts of the world.
Lilly Singh: I think Hollywood is convinced — and I can speak because I work in Hollywood — that only one kind of audience can resonate with this type of film. What is great about Holy Curse is that it is about the freedom to be yourself. A lot of people have come up to me to say: “I relate to how nice it feels when I am with people where I can be myself and where I am seen for who I am.”
Lilly, I believe it was the title that first hooked you. What was it that arrested attention and what were the other primary factors that made you want to back Holy Curse?
Lilly: The title is intriguing... it kind of feels bittersweet. Most things in life are not black and white, they are not binary... the truth is somewhere in the middle. A title like Holy Curse lends itself to that idea.
Since the beginning of my career, I have been a big believer that comedy is the best vehicle to start conversations and to infuse heavier messages. The 16 minutes of Holy Curse made me laugh out loud, and it also got me emotional. It really flew by and made me feel that I could even watch this as a feature film.
I deeply believe in anything that has to do with identity and letting people be exactly who they are, but to do it in such a way where the audience can lower their defenses, have a laugh, resonate with the characters and see themselves and their family members in them. Holy Curse does that.
Snigdha, Holy Curse comes from a personal space and is partly inspired by your childhood. Were there other references as well?
Snigdha: When I write, it is mostly intuitive and I don’t think of influences per se. One writes organically, reacting to whatever is impacting one in that moment or that phase of life and you end up channeling it in different ways.
I had been in the US for 14 years and I had not really understood what identity can be and whether you need to have labels attached to yourself. It was only in the last four-five years that I got some of these answers. I reflected on my childhood and the story started to form a sort of language. It made me examine how I felt when I was growing up and how that led me to this point today and wondering if things could have been different had I been more exposed to not such a binary world.
The film has made it to the qualification round of the Oscars. That must feel very special....
Lilly: There are two types of projects. One that you do for the brand name attached and because it helps you pay your bills. But it is my absolute pleasure when a project comes along that makes me feel passionate about it. It is beyond the money and the brand.
The Oscar qualification is awesome, but it is the message, story and the performances that make me genuinely believe the world needs more of these kind of films. As an artiste, it is important for me to have projects where I feel I am doing this for art, for the people, for the community and for humanity. What I love about Holy Curse is that in a world of algorithms, clicks and views, we have something like this that doesn’t fit into a box and yet ignites conversations.
Snigdha: For me, the biggest thing has been finding people who resonate with these themes and can help champion them. I want to continue to make such films but also have people champion them because filmmaking is not easy. It takes a village and by that I don’t mean just funding, but also the right kind of people to align with and the right approach to follow.
Lilly Sigh (standing) with Snigdha Kapoor
Lilly, the film says that when the world wants to limit you in a box then asking “why” becomes an act of rebellion in itself. How far does that apply to the career you have had and the unconventional journey you have been on?
Lilly: I started my career on YouTube, which was very unconventional. Through most of my career, I have had the privilege of being a part of many firsts, with Holy Curse being one of them. I am called a trailblazer and, sure, I will take it, but my whole career has been built on asking why — questions like why can’t someone like me do this, why can’t I sit at this table, why can’t a desi girl be in this space.... For better or worse, that has been the summary of my career. It has been difficult but it is also necessary to ask questions.
What I love the most about Holy Curse is that the protagonist (Radha, played by Mrunal Kashid) is so young, but through her, the film shows how the young generation now has the ability to question everything... to ask “why?” or for that matter, even “why not?”
A woman asking questions, even in today’s times, is considered to be “difficult”....
Lilly: Yes. What we need to do is unsubscribe from the word “difficult woman”. If asking what is well within my rights as a human and as a woman makes me a “difficult woman”, then so be it.
We also need to recognise how words are often weaponised against women. Something as innocuous as gratitude is also weaponised because you are made to feel that you are constantly privileged to have made it so far.
Snigdha: I was once told: “If you want to be taken seriously as a cinematographer, then you have to act and talk like a man on set.” I didn’t understand then what it meant... all I knew is that I wanted to be myself. I am glad I did not get influenced by any of that. Here I am, making my own films, figuring out ways to do it and finding the right kind of people who are not asking me to change. It is important to be in a room and not have people ask you why you are there.
Payal Kapadia to Shuchi Talati, Sandhya Suri to Anuparna Roy, Indian-origin filmmakers are now in the international spotlight, more than ever. What will you pick as the biggest contributing factor to this upsurge?
Snigdha: It is now becoming more and more important for women creators — and not just filmmakers — to be present in rooms where decisions are being made. At the end of the day, one needs support, one needs quite a few doors to be thrown open. But it doesn’t happen overnight, it is a slow and gradual process. Today, we have the names you spoke of, and in the next few years, I hope we have a lot more....
The system is slow, but it is changing. There is more inclusion behind the scenes, especially in the independent space. One needs to keep looking and finally finding people who believe in the passion and the mission of that subject.
What makes the audience resonate with these stories is that they are authentic and different, they are fresh but also genuine. Honestly, such stories always existed, but the platforms did not.
Lilly: The situation is better, but there is still a long way to go. Ideally, we need to get to a place where we can sit in a room with a group of people who don’t look like us, and yet they can understand the value of our stories. I grew up watching Friends, where none of the people on screen looked like me, but I was able to understand and appreciate the friendships and relationships in it. We need people with power and money to tell us: “Even though you have a different perspective for me, I want to put my money where my mouth is, green-light it and give you the resources.”
Any piece of work that you watched recently that resonated with you deeply?
Lilly: Before Adolescence, I hadn’t heard so many people globally discuss and dissect a show to that extent. It is a really good example of how storytelling can be gripping and yet honest. Holy Curse and Adolescence feel similar to me. They both deal with heavy themes but there are also moments of levity, which help to start a conversation.
Snigdha: Joyland really hit close to home. The family dynamic is unique to our subcontinental culture and really stayed with me.