Alia Bhatt and Soni Razdan are opening up about “Difficult Daughters,” their family collaboration that is being presented at Busan’s Asian Project Market. The mother-daughter duo share fresh details about their vision for the project, which is adapted from Manju Kapur’s acclaimed novel and currently in financing.
Set across two timelines, “Difficult Daughters” follows Virmati, the eldest of ten in a conservative Punjabi family in 1940s Lahore, who defies convention in her pursuit of education and love, only to find herself trapped after becoming the second wife of a married professor. In 2022, her granddaughter Simar faces a failing marriage and a secret affair; discovering Virmati’s hidden past forces her to confront her estranged mother, Ila. The narrative links pre-Partition India with contemporary urban life, tracing inherited trauma and resilience across generations.
Razdan says Kapur’s novel instantly sparked a visual response. “When I read the book many years ago, at that time it struck me as being very cinematically written. It is descriptive in a way that evokes the inner landscape of the characters as well as the outer, actual canvas. I found myself visualising the story long before I thought of making it into a film,” she says. She added that the dual time periods heighten the theme: “While a nation was on the verge of attaining its independence, we have a young girl fighting for the same rights… However at its core, this film is a personal story, or rather – stories – that are set in two different time periods.”
Having previously starred in “Yours Truly,” which screened at Busan in 2018, Razdan returns this year as director. She emphasized authenticity in recreating the past. “1940’s small town Amritsar in Punjab has to be recreated, but in parallel, the casting is key. So actors, costumes, and set design are the most important elements particularly for ‘Difficult Daughters.’ And last but not least, the music… there is huge opportunity here to be really out of the box in terms of how we go about marrying past and present.”
Bhatt, one of India’s top stars and head of Eternal Sunshine Productions, framed the project as both personal and aligned with her company’s ethos. “At Eternal Sunshine, we are always on the lookout for stories that strike a deep chord and stay with the audience long after the film ends. ‘Difficult Daughters’ is undoubtedly one of those,” she says. “Of course, it’s extra special to have my mom direct it, but what truly makes it stand out for me is the shared belief we all have in this story… Busan is a beautiful first step in its journey, and we hope the film continues to spark conversations and connections wherever it goes — because stories like this don’t just belong to one place, they belong to everyone.”