It’s a kind of project that Dewan had dreamt of over three decades ago as she shuttled between her home and her job at an upscale ad agency in Mumbai, and later, in Delhi. “We were writing copies through the day to sell products. It was around that time I became aware of the potential of the medium. Six months into my job, the shine wore off and I was itching to cross the line and utilise the medium to a more substantial end,” says the 57-year-old.

But changing over was more difficult than she expected it to be. She lost her husband early and had a young child to take care of. But Dewan held on. She got in touch with Alliance Francaise and government officials and put together her Provident Fund to organise a couple of film festivals based on women’s issues. Her first directorial venture came in 1983—a hard won opportunity that saw her getting a chance to access Film Division of India’s programme to encourage budding film-makers. Her first film, Gift of Love, focussed on dowry. “It wasn’t a technically excellent movie, but it came straight from the gut,” she says.

The film went on to win seven international awards at film-festivals around the world, opening up newer avenues for Dewan. “One such was an opportunity to work with renowned Canadian film-maker Kathleen Shannon, who started the only women’s studio in Canada in 1975,” she says.

It was during her stint at Canada that her production house, South View Productions was born, and Dewan returned to India to make over 50 documentaries on both national and international projects with the UN and the government of India, among others, on issues ranging from seed patents to girl trafficking. The films won accolades at international festivals. One particular film, Backstage Boys, made in 2004 in collaboration with Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT) has recently been in the news again for her exploration of the reasons behind illegal human trafficking from Punjab.