Having a child is one of the most amazing amazing moments in a mother's life and the birth of a baby triggers a mix of emotions from happiness to fear and anxiety. But many a times, it also results in postpartum depression. In fact, one in seven women suffers from postpartum depression after giving birth, but it's rarely discussed.
A song titled 'Jananya', which was recently launched by actress Manju Warrier, depicts the struggle of a woman with postpartum depression. Directed by Anand Anilkumar, who had previously assisted in movies like Driving License and Underworld, the song unfolds the physical and emotional transition that a woman goes through after giving birth to her child.
The song is written by Din Nath Puthenchery and sung by Gouri Sreekumar and Gireesan AC. Its music is done by Pratik Abhyankar and features Mridula Madhav and Jain K Paul in lead roles.
It was Anand's wife Sony Sunil who gave the idea of doing a music video on postpartum depression – a topic that has not been discussed through a video so far. “Raam H Puthran, our cinematographer, and I sat and discussed on how to conceive this video. But it took almost a month's research to know more about postpartum depression,” says Anand. Some of the scenes in the video are inspired through real life experience.
“I think 90% of men still are not aware about postpartum depression. Some even think it as a tantrum thrown by their wives. It's high time we accept that postpartum depression exists,” says Anand.
The music video was shot at 100 frames per second (fps) in order to give importance to the emotions that a woman goes through. The song was shared by Rima Kallingal, Joju George and many others.
Despite the issue being experienced by most of the mothers, there is a complete lack of interest towards the mental health of a new mother after she gives birth to a child.
Women suffering from postpartum depression usually show the same symptoms associated with other kinds of stress and depression such as a feeling of despair, crying for no apparent reason, being irritable, restless, oversleeping or not sleeping enough, eating too little or too much, and staying aloof from friends and family. In acute cases it can lead to self harm, or even injuries to the child.
'Jananya' has shown these different kinds of symptoms in women and sends a message to take help from a doctor. Support from the family and intervention of counsellors and therapists, if required, can help a new mother get accustomed to the changes and her new role in life.
