Made in India

Made in India, a 2010 documentary film directed by Rebecca Haimowitz and Vaishali Sinha, is a powerful exploration of the growing global trend of “outsourcing” surrogate pregnancies to India. This moving and thought-provoking documentary is sure to evoke the audience's sense of empathy and compassion, while also raising intellectual and ethical questions about economic disparity, women’s rights, reproductive rights, and globalization.

Over 90 minutes, Made in India takes us to Mumbai, where we meet a middle-aged Indian woman named Aasia Khan, who lives in a slum with her three children and auto-rickshaw driver husband. To lift her family from the depths of poverty, Aasia has decided to earn money through surrogacy. Meticulously researched and ethically mindful, this documentary does not steer away from presenting the raw reality of surrogacy in India, which is more often than not a product of economic desperation than a willing choice.

At the same time, Rebecca Haimowitz and Vaishali Sinha introduce us to Lisa and Brian Switzer, a working-class couple from San Antonio, Texas. After facing repeated failures in their attempts to conceive naturally and then through IVF, the Switzers have decided to hire a surrogate mother to carry their child. However, the high cost of the process in the United States has led them to explore more affordable options abroad. Unsettled by ethical concerns and filled with hopeful anticipation, they embark on an emotional journey to India.

As the paths of Aasia and the Switzers intertwine, Made in India portrays an intimate, complex, and fascinating narrative of this delicate arrangement. The film does a commendable job of capturing the Switzers' excitement and anxiety as they wait for their baby thousands of miles away, battling language barriers and grappling with the unfamiliar terrain of cross-cultural and cross-continental surrogacy.

Simultaneously, the viewers get a closer look at Aasia's experience. The filmmakers objectively depict the physical and emotional toll that surrogacy takes on her, as well as the social stigma she faces in her community. Despite her deteriorating health and the social ostracism, Aasia's resilience and selflessness as she carries another couple's child is heartrending. Her commitment towards providing a better future for her own family underscores her inner strength while also highlighting the harsh realities of economic disparity.

Through a vast array of intimate interviews and eye-opening footage, the film also shines a light on the booming Indian surrogacy industry, which often profits from the desperation of its surrogate mothers and the dreams of its international clients with no party fully understanding the implications involved. The strikingly contrasting worlds of affluent infertility clinics and the dingy slums where most surrogate mothers live present a clear picture of the troublesome issues that arise from commercial surrogacy.

Moreover, by critically raising questions about regulatory policies in the international surrogacy market, the film pushes viewers to think deeply about the ethical lines blurred in this process. The heartfelt personal stories combined with the exploration of commercial surrogacy's legal, ethical, and political landscape makes Made in India an absorbing and enlightening watch.

In conclusion, Made in India provides a balanced narrative, chronicling the surrogacy journey from the perspective of both the commissioning parents and the surrogate mother. This documentary is both emotionally stirring and thought-provoking, taking the viewers along a journey of varied emotions, from hope and joy to worry and despair. A unique blend of personal narratives and broader socio-political issues, Made in India is a must-watch for anyone interested in understanding the complex world of international surrogacy.