In today's episode, I interview Radha Mehta, who co-directed the short film "Witness" with Saif Jaan. The film tells the story of an Imam of a small town mosque who is faced with choosing between upholding the values of his mosque or protecting the safety and spiritual belonging of a trans man congregant.
Listen to hear about the story's basis in Saif Jaan's real experience, how difficult it was to find a working mosque willing to allow a story about a trans character to be filmed inside, and what it's like to land your ideal casting for an important role in a film.
Books mentioned in this episode include:
Six Days in Bombay by Alka Joshi
Films and TV shows mentioned in this episode include:
"Witness" directed by Radha Mehta and Saif Jaan
An Act of Worship directed by Nausheen Dadabhoy
Iron Man directed by Jon Favreau
About Elly directed by Asghar Farhadi
A Separation directed by Asghar Farhadi
Salaam Bombay! directed by Mira Nair
Close directed by Lukas Dhont
Vision Quest (upcoming series)
A Real Pain directed by Jesse Eisenberg
One of a Kind (Wakhri) directed by Iram Parveen Bilal
"Dosh" directed by Radha Mehta
Follow Radha on Instagram @radhamehta and the film @witness.shortfilm
be sure to check out the film at the 2025 Raindance Film Festival in London this June.
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