Q. Why did you choose a subject like dirt for the eponymous 2008 documentary?
A. Dirt is an introspective essay film. I like to use metaphors as a way to see the world. After 9/11, I began to see dirt as a metaphor for otherness. The definition of dirt is ‘matter out of place’ and I began to wonder how that might translate into human beings who are considered dirty. For me, dirt goes hand-in-hand with the sacred; I see it as part of a continuum, inherent to the human condition.

Meghna Haldar