ASK THE SEXPERT
Film poster for "Ask The Sexpert" with old man with cane and couples under umbrellas
ASK THE SEXPERT
Film poster for "Ask The Sexpert" with old man with cane and couples under umbrellas
A longtime sex advice columnist gains popularity against the backdrop of a ban on comprehensive sex education in schools in India

ASK THE SEXPERT

Regular price $349.00
/

WATCH ON DOCUSEEK

​HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - Library Journal | RECOMMENDED ★★★ - Video Librarian | RECOMMENDED - Educational Media Reviews Online

Sexuality Studies • Asian Studies • South Asian Studies • Public Health • Anthropology • Psychology

Date of Completion: 2017 | Run Time: 59 & 83 minutes​​ | Language: English with English subtitles | Captions: No | Includes: Transcript Director: Vaishali Sinha | Producers: Vaishali Sinha & Mridu Chandra

ASK THE SEXPERT is a feature-length documentary about Dr. Mahinder Watsa, a highly popular 93-year-old sex advice columnist for a daily newspaper in Mumbai. Despite sex being a taboo topic in India, the column’s brand of non-moralistic advice and humor has emboldened many to write in with their questions. The columnist gains popularity even while a ban on comprehensive sex education in schools is adopted by approximately a third of India’s states.

ASK THE SEXPERT provides a first-ever look at the man behind the public persona and cult phenomenon of Dr. Mahinder Watsa – a feminist man in a deeply patriarchal society and a modern India that wants to talk about sex. Ultimately, ASK THE SEXPERT is a universal story about the need for a safe space to talk about the body and about desire.

Library Journal | J. Osicki, Saint John Free Public Library
"This is an edifying, unembellished look at a humble man who has devoted his life to helping people navigate the pleasurable yet oft-bewildering world of human sexuality. Highly recommended for all viewers."

Video Librarian ★★★
Reviewed by C, P. (K. Fennessy)
"With a mixture of wit and respect, director Vaishali Sinha profiles Dr. Mahinder Watsa, 'India’s foremost sexologist,'... An engaging portrait, this is recommended."

Educational Media Reviews Online (EMRO) | Reviewed by Linda Frederiksen, Washington State University
"This entertaining overview of a serious and universal topic is recommended for general audiences and human development courses."

Huffington Post | Morena Duwe, Music & Culture
"An intimate look at the way Indians talk about sex."

The Globe and Mail | Zosia Bielski, Senior Writer
"The film deftly moves between Watsa, his conservative detractors and gorgeous footage of young lovers on the streets of Mumbai … In a country where sex ed is banned in a third of states, a country that tallied nearly 35,000 rape cases in 2015, Watsa is a radical and necessary voice of reason."

Screen Daily | Fionnuala Halligan, Chief Film Critic
"Sinha presents this unique personality against a backdrop of a glowing Mumbai, where he is stopped on the street by young fans and take selfies as he launches his book, ‘It’s Normal’.  Stooped and kindly, he’s India’s favourite straight-talking uncle, only one who advertises Viagra as a sideline. He’s certainly a find."

Cinema Axis
"I find it utterly impossible not to be charmed by Dr. Watsa and, by extension, by this documentary by Vaishali Sinha … Dr. Watsa writes plainly, even conversationally, to his readers with honesty, openness, and precision – three things otherwise completely missing from the field … This is a fascinating documentary. Sinha has found a brilliant subject and has the good sense to stick with him. I’m positive that he will endear audiences near and far."

Jury Award for Best Documentary | DC South Asian Film Festival
Best of Fest | IDFA
Best Documentary Feature | South Asian Film Festival of Montréal
Best Documentary Feature | Jagran Film Festival
Best Feature Documentary Jury Award | New Orleans Film Festival 
Best Documentary | Power Brands Bollywood Film Journalist Awards
World Premiere | Hot Docs International Film Festival
Asian Premiere | MAMI, Mumbai 
Special Jury Mention | Film Southasia


Vaishali Sinha is the director/producer of award-winning feature-length documentary films MADE IN INDIA (PBS 2012, Kanopy) and ASK THE SEXPERT (PBS World, Netflix India, GOOD DOCS). She was the development consultant for the Academy Award winning documentary PERIOD. END. OF. SENTENCE. Vaishali is currently working on her third feature documentary GIVE IT A SHOT (Sandbox Films). She is also a founder of Bitchitra Collective: Indian Women and non binary filmmakers in documentary. 

Vaishali is Rockefeller Institute's Bellagio Residency Program Fellow for their gender equality track. Her films have won festival awards, a Critics Choice Award in India, a Grierson Award nomination for Best Entertaining Film, and a Ridenhour Peace Prize Nomination for Excellence in Truth-Telling. Vaishali's film MADE IN INDIA was a case study at Harvard Business School for a class on ethics. She has a bachelor’s in physics from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, and received a film diploma from the New School University in NYC, where she lives with her husband Fred Lassen, a Broadway music director, and their son Luca.