Navy Day Premiere: How Sivan Couple's 'Jalkanya' Empowers Young Girls

The Indian Navy will celebrate Navy Day 2025 in Thiruvananthapuram, situated along the Arabian Sea.

More exciting for the couple is that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries are expected to grace the occasion.

Speaking to IANS, Sanjeev said Jalkanya is inspired by the Prime Minister’s flagship Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign and celebrates the creativity, courage, and resilience of young girls across the country.

“The project aims to amplify young voices through the medium of cinema while reinforcing a national message of empowerment and inclusion,” said Sanjeev.

As part of the initiative, 25 students from Navy schools across India were handpicked for a five-day intensive filmmaking workshop in Mumbai.

The sessions were conducted by some of the country’s most celebrated film and music personalities, including Aamir Khan, Anurag Kashyap, Shankar Mahadevan, Javed Jaffrey, and A. Sreekar Prasad.

The participants were then encouraged to conceptualize and create their own short films, reflecting personal experiences, community issues, and aspirations.

These works form the heart of Jalkanya, offering a rare glimpse into how young minds perceive empowerment, equality, and change.

The campaign that inspired the film, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (Save the Daughter, Educate the Daughter), was launched on January 22, 2015, in Panipat, Haryana. It focuses on preventing gender-biased sex selection, ensuring the survival and protection of the girl child, and promoting her education and participation in all spheres of life.

Over the years, it has evolved into a nationwide movement encouraging communities to respect and empower daughters. “Jalkanya is being positioned as both a tribute to this mission and a platform to nurture the next generation of storytellers,” added Sanjeev.

Incidentally, Sanjeev’s father, late Sivan, is a national film award winner, besides the two brothers of Sanjeev include acclaimed cinematographer Santosh Sivan, while another brother, who passed away, Sangeeth Sivan, is known for directing one of the most popular Malayalam films, Yodha, starring Mohanlal.

The couple’s son, 14-year-old Sidhanshu, an actor, headed the Children’s Jury at the 55th Giffoni International Film Festival in Italy recently.

- IANS