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Made in India examines the implications of commercial surrogacy and medical tourism, reports Nandini Ramnath.
 Eggs from America and wombs from India: medical tourism has spawned a thriving sub-business in commercial surrogacy. Across the world, infertile residents of such wealthy nations as the United States of America and the United Kingdom are renting out the wombs of women from developing and poor nations like India, Panama, and Thailand. These women carry mostly Caucasian babies in their wombs, pick up their fees after the delivery (between 4,000 and 7,000 dollars) and disappear. Sometimes, there are complications during the pregnancy, and afterwards. Made in India, directed by Vaishali Sinha and Rebecca Haimowitz, explores the surrogacy market through the case study of American couple Brian and Lisa and a baby carrier in Mumbai, Aasia. The absorbing documentary is sympathetic to the desperate desire of the couple to have their own children (Lisa cannot get pregnant due to medical problems) as well as the dirt-poor Aasia.
Made in India could well have been called Made in Bandra. The Rotunda Clinic that handles the case, the Executive Enclave Hotel where the Americans stay, and the “surrogacy home” where Aasia is cared for during her pregnancy are all in the neighbourhood. From establishments in Bandra to companies across the world, surrogacy benefits many people but leaves behind a string of ethical issues in its wake. The filmmakers said in an interview that their approach to the controversial issue was to keep their distance and let viewers make up their own minds about so-called procreative tourism.
Surrogacy is a minefield. Why did you decide to negotiate it?
Rebecca Haimowitz: International surrogacy from the start captivated us as a subject that straddled many issues like globalisation, personal choice/agency, commidification of the body, citizenship, and so much more. We wanted to make a film that would allow of this to be questioned and explored naturally. To approach the film, we decided from the beginning that we wanted to tell the personal stories of real people practising surrogacy from all perspectives, and let the complicated ethical and legal questions emerge from the personal narratives. We really didn’t want to make a film that condemned or promoted the practise – instead, we wanted to create a film that brings the viewer into the experience and allows them to come to their own conclusions on the subject.
Did you conduct many interviews before choosing Lisa and Bryan?
Vaishali Sinha: We did conduct interviews with other US couples, as well as other surrogate mothers in Anand, Gujarat and Pune. Our initial research also included interviews with other medical practitioners, clinic providers and more. We really wanted to understand the process better and hear different stories; our research only led to a richer film. However, ultimately, we felt that the best way to tell this story was by focusing on one US couple and their Indian surrogate in order to create a compelling narrative framework.
How long did you shoot for?
RH: A long time! Our initial research filming began back in spring 2007. We wrapped filming in late 2009 and had our festival premiere in 2010 at Hot Docs Film Festival.
Documentaries are unpredictable, especially when you’re shooting over a long period. So were you thrown off when Aasia’s case got complicated?
VS: We went into this film knowing that we could not plan the ending. All our subjects took a leap of faith because they wanted this to work out each for their own reasons. But because there is no legal regulation of surrogacy right now in India, we were aware that any number of complications could arise. Not to mention that pregnancy in general is risky, especially in the case of twin pregnancies. It was somewhat scary that so many things could, and in many cases did, go wrong – but that’s life! And that’s what makes documentaries so compelling.
You have remarkable access in the film. How did you manage that?
RH: We were clear from the start with all our characters that the film would be about watching a process unfold and we were fortunate that the people we filmed gave incredible access to their lives and experiences. Everyone including the doctors at the fertility clinic, the medical tourism company and the US Embassy were extremely forthcoming with us.
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