Sonejuhi Sinha has worked as a director and editor on acclaimed feature films, documentaries, and commercials. Her first narrative short, “Love Comes Later,” premiered at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. She was selected for the 2016 Shoot New Director’s Showcase in New York, as well as Tribeca Film Institute’s Through Her Lens program.

“Stray Dolls” hits VOD today, April 10.

W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.

SS: “Stray Dolls” is a story about two young women who have to turn to crime in order to survive in America and gain agency over their lives. It is also a story of love and companionship between an unlikely pair — Riz, a recent immigrant from India, and Dallas, a young American runaway from the South.

It is a story about outsiders in America that grapples with the question of whether it is possible to be good in an environment that is deeply flawed.

“Stray Dolls” blurs the line between right and wrong and lives in an uncomfortable moral grey area, one that satirizes the American dream.

W&H: What drew you to this story?

SS: A few years ago, while volunteering at the Women’s Prison Association (WPA), I came across many stories of American women who fell into a life of crime. Most of them made a decision to protect their family, which resulted in jail time. The rate of women prisoners incarcerated in America has gone up 10 times since the ’90s and reasons behind it, I felt, were endlessly fascinating and complex.

From here, my goal became to explore the grey areas of who we see as a “criminal” and the circumstances that force somebody to commit a crime.

At the heart of it, I wanted to tell a story about complex and flawed people who are forced to take matters into their own hands. As a first generation immigrant, I know firsthand that our lives are not reducible to a mere struggle for survival. I wanted my characters to reflect the complex web of desires, emotions, and needs that define all people from all backgrounds.

W&H: What do you want people to think about after they watch the film?

SS: I want to light a fire in the minds of my audience. I don’t want to give them easy answers. I want to help them see more and ask more questions. If [the film leaves them] troubled, provoked, and full of curiosity, I think I’ve done my job.

W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?

SS: One of the biggest challenges was finding our lead, Riz. In the story, Riz has recently arrived in the U.S. from India. Staying authentic and staying true to the story was critical here. We started our search in the U.S. but I soon realized that Riz was going to have to be an actress from India. Several people thought this was a crazy idea. Some thought I should cast a lead who would bring “value” to the project. Others thought it was impractical because an O1 visa for a film would be impossible to get under Trump’s immigration policies.

This was a critical decision and I knew I had to stand my ground and fight for authenticity. We started an international search for Riz. Fortunately, an established director and friend, Anurag Kashyap, recommended a phenomenal talent from Bombay, Geetanjali Thapa. She read the script and got back to me within 24 hours, eager to do it.

From here on, we began the harrowing journey of getting Geetanjali an O1 visa and flying her over before the shoot. The film gods were shining down on us because her visa was approved a week before our shoot.

W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.

SS: The film was funded by a combination of production company financing, private equity, in kind equity, and grants. I had gotten several grants and had in-kind for post-production. The major piece of financing kept coming together and falling apart. Charlotte Rabate, my co-writer and producer, kept me going through all the ups and downs.

Not making the movie was not an option, and together, we began looking at every financing hurdle as a fun challenge to overcome. Just when we thought the bottom had fallen out yet again, we got the greenlight. We were in pre-production in a month.

It just goes to show that several no’s can still lead to a yes with enough persistence.

W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?

SS: Storytelling has always been an important part of my family and an important part of my growing up. I was always gathering my cousins and friends, directing them to perform plays in front of my family. I went to college wanting to be a writer but soon discovered film as a cinema studies dual major.

Early in cinema studies, I watched “Pather Panchali,” which left a mark. I had never seen anything so pure and so affecting. [Writer-director] Satyajit Ray had such a strong voice and had so much to say about India’s socio-economic identity.

From then on, I watched all the European and American auteurs, wrote about them, and dreamed of one day making my own films. I knew then that it was in this medium that my instinct for storytelling could come fully alive.

But perhaps the bigger question is, why am I a filmmaker today? The reason I am a filmmaker today is because I believe I have something unique and novel to say about America, Americans, immigrants, and women and people of color.

I am a first-generation immigrant. I moved from India to the U.S. at the age of 13. My family and I started our lives over again in America. In some ways, I am an outsider in India and in the U.S. However, it is this outsider perspective that allows me to have distance and allows me to have a perspective on the issues surrounding America.

I believe perspective is important in film as it is in art. All of us have a context, a history, and a past, and it helps us see the world in a certain way. I want to use this unique perspective to move and impact people. I want to use it add to the language of film. And most of all, I hope that my films can be a refuge for the millions of outsiders that make up America.

W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?

SS: Worst advice: You’ll never get this movie financed.

Best advice: Don’t wait for anyone to give you permission to make your work. I think Ava DuVernay said that. She is an incredible role model, somebody whose choices and career path I admire profoundly.

W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?

SS: Trust your instincts.

W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.

SS: “The Piano” is an all-time favorite. Jane Campion is such a master. Her films are character-driven and one of a kind. Her eye for mise-en-scène is impeccable. She shows slowness, restraint. and deftness in her storytelling. Her voice is singular and absolutely original. She has never made an uninteresting or unchallenging film. This is everything I aspire to be and work hard to achieve. I find something inspiring every time I watch one of her films.

W&H: How are you adjusting to life during the COVID-19 pandemic? Are you keeping creative, and if so, how?

SS: Our lives have been upended due to the pandemic. The news is disturbing every day and every minute. To stay creative, I have limited my news intake to 20 minutes in the morning and around 20 minutes in the afternoon. I have found that if I look at the news too much, I find myself paralyzed and creatively blocked.

I have also tried to create a calendar and a schedule at home: keeping the mornings for writing, reading, and quiet time, and scheduling phone calls and Zoom meetings in the evening. We are also trying to eat healthy, work out every other day, and get lots of sleep, which is all critical for staying grounded and maintaining good mental health.

Luckily, I’ve been able to write a lot and have made headway with future projects, but I am trying to be more present and extract joy from what was the daily minutiae.