[Brilliant] This Imtiaz Ali short film shows sex workers in a brand new light

When Imtiaz Ali, the adorable mophead and maker of nuanced romantic dramas, such as Tamasha, Jab We Met, Highway, among others, decides to shrink the timeframe of his movies and "keep it short", as it were, he makes a big statement.

This five-minute short, titled My Dream, which premiered at the India Today Conclave 2016 series called "India Tomorrow", has already gone viral and garnered over 2.4 lakh views in 24 hours.

India Today had asked five filmmakers, including Imtiaz Ali, to make short films on the theme of "India Tomorrow", sharing their visions of what the young generation looks like, and how they can bring about positive change in the national narrative.

"With this short film, I am opening up the doors to the digital world, to have conversations with interested people and organisations. I have these powerful, shorter stories that must be told and now can be told." Ali said.

The film shows a young sex worker and her client interrupted by a phone call, only to be confronted with the news of failing stock market and falling share prices - something similar to the 2008 recession. As the man panics, the woman coolly advises him to invest in blue-chip shares instead of selling off all his assets.

When he realises that the sex worker, who charges on an hourly basis for her "services" is far more educated than he is, the client acts patronising and suggests she could be an "investment banker". What the woman does next will just blow your mind.

True to his candour and typical reversals of expected gender norms, Ali brandishes this fantastic take on what an educated, self-confident woman does for a living. What she does or does not do with her body and brain is entirely up to her, as Ali wants us to understand and appreciate. The choices are often complex, and we must be putting people in ridiculous boxes of outdated presumptions.  

Kudos, Imtiaz Ali. You amazed us once again.