Filmmaker Karan Boolani On the Power of Storytelling, Female Orgasms, and Making People Uncomfortable

The Word: Thank You For Coming is a film centred around female pleasure. While directing it, were you conscious about how you approached the subject…to ensure the ‘male gaze’ doesn’t lurk in?
Karan Boolani: “Our writer Radhika Anand’s one-line description was enough to make me curious about the story: ‘A girl, who has never had an orgasm, wakes up one morning to realise that she eventually did, but cannot remember with whom’. Once we started developing the story, I tried to ensure that I was constantly finding creative ways to keep the story moving forward…while also trying to protect what the girls were looking to say.”

“When you get the audience to come to the cinema, it’s important to make sure that you add value to their experience. I feel that it’s the job of the director to ‘move’ an audience—in whatever direction they see fit.”

TW: The film addresses a lot of topics like sexuality, gender, fidelity, pleasure, and insecurities. Do you think cinema today is a great tool to raise awareness and speak about issues that matter?
KB: “Yes, of course! As a filmmaker, I believe there is power in storytelling, and a good story will always find its audience. Since the trailer was released, we have received an overwhelming response, even at a global level after Thank You For Coming’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). So audiences definitely want to see new things and if you have something explosive to say, try saying it with a pinch of humour.”

TW: Were you expecting any backlash for the film? Especially from men, who might feel that the film potentially portrays them all as inept at pleasuring women.
KB: “After the release, it has been more positive than negative. In fact, a lot of men called me to tell me that they enjoyed the film and did not feel attacked. Just yesterday, I received a few messages and calls from my mother’s friends asking why this film was not made 20 or 30 years ago… Over the weekend, I snuck into a cinema hall and observed the audience’s reaction while watching the film—there’s something magical about it…when you see them react, or laugh at the exact same moments you did while editing the film. Yes, the film has also made some people uncomfortable, which, in my opinion, is always fun.”