It’s been a long journey and we are incredibly excited to be able to bring the film to the big screen. When I first started writing this film, it was because of a family friend, Rashi Shyam, whose father had shot himself. No one within the South Asian community even knew how deeply he was struggling with depression. No one acknowledged his depression even after that, when he was hospitalized. So we decided to make this film, hoping to de-stigmatize mental illness and bring awareness of the issue to all cultures.

Over the course of the film’s production until now, things have changed – Rashi’s father died after years of suffering in the hospital. Her mother recently passed on, too, from hiding the stress of having to deal with the fact that her husband suffered from an illness that no one understood or wanted to acknowledge. And so the importance of the film has become even greater.

The film is a dynamic drama that explores the effects of bipolar disorder on Divya (played by the esteemed Madhur Jaffrey), her estranged daughter Linny (Pooja Kumar of_Bollywood Hero_), granddaughter Jia (newcomer Madeleine Massey), and the surrounding community in New Jersey. It’s a wry, emotional, and sometimes humorous look at one family struggling to keep things together.

As with all independent film, HIDING DIVYA hinges on word of mouth to help determine its future. We would like to ask you to spread the word about the upcoming release. Independent film live or die by the attendance at opening weekend, and so we hope that you and your circle will be able to lend your support. The film will be having a limited release in 6 cities: New York City, NY; Edison, NJ; Novi, MI; Peachtree, GA; North Bergen, NJ; and Fremont, CA.

Even if you do not live in one of these cities, please send a message to peers or friends who do. Many, many people have helped to make this film possible in many different ways. We’d love to count on you as well. Become a Fan on Facebook, and invite others to be a fan here:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hiding-Divya/27119201068