To think of a world without women seems like too wild. But then considering the bias people have against having a girl child not only in India but also in countries like China etc, and ever increasing imbalance between the male, female ratio around the world, the thought seems like quite a possibility.

Twenty four-year-old scriptwriter and director Manish Jha's film "Matrubhoomi--- A Nation Without Women" is one such film which speaks of a village were there are no women and when after several years a woman does come to that village, she is exploited by every man in his own unique way. Though a futuristic film, Matrubhoomi's producer Sanjay Raut Ray of "Makdee" and "Paanch" fame and director Manish Jha along with their talented crew and rustic locations, have ensured that the film appears to be totally realistic.

There is just one female character in the film which is being played by none other than Tulip Joshi who made her debut in Yash Chopra's film "Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai". The film has been shot in Sync sound and has been completed in a schedule of 28 days. The shooting for the film started on the 25th of last month and is expected to be completed by 23rd of this month.

Being produced in collaboration with a French company called ex-Nihilo, Matrubhoomi is a reality check on the present times. It talks of evils like infanticide and other atrocities against women which are a part of not just our society but our day-to-day lives. But despite the subject the director has seen to it that the film does not preach, it only states what can happen if precautions are not taken.

The film is a first for many, from Manish Jha the director himself to many of the stars. But even though Manish Jha's film does not have the big stars who are supposed to pull the crowds, his film has a soul and his actors are no less stars in their own right. They all are NSD (National School of Drama) passouts and well known names in the theatre circles. But the film's strongest point is its technical team from director Manish Jha himself, who won the best director award at the Cannes film festival last year for his short documentry to cinematographer Veenugopal who has won four national awards for his excellent camera work.

The director of photography is none other than Nitin Kamlakar who has more than 800 films behind him, films like "Company" and "Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham", the most recent on his list, and Sync sound expert Rasul who has done films like, Split Wide Open and Snip to name a few, all make a deadly team. They together have ensured that the film is technically a hit. All the characters are real and the locations contribute to the story.

Shot in a small village called Ranhaikala 170 kilometers from Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh, Matrubhoomi has no glamour to speak of, even its actors are on screen without any makeup. The first print of the film is expected to be complete by June this year and then the makers are planning to send the film for the various film festivals abroad.

Meanwhile, Manish has already started working on his next script and soon plans to direct that too. But as of now it is Matrubhoomi that occupies his mind.