Renuka Shahane’s 'Loop Line' Exposes The Emotional Abuse Hidden In Plain Sight

When Renuka Shahane decided to tell the story of a housewife trapped in the monotony of emotional neglect, she didn’t reach for live-action realism. Instead, she chose animation—a medium that could mirror her protagonist’s inner world: her fleeting dreams, her stifled rage, her surreal escapes. The result is Loop Line, a hauntingly beautiful Marathi short film that uses vivid colours and surreal imagery to depict the quiet tragedy of a woman whose life is dictated by duty.

The animation for the film is created by Paperboat Design Studios, founded by Soumitra Ranade, Mayank Patel, and Aashish Mall. Loop Line features actors Mitalee Jagtap Varadkar and Anand Alkunte. Varadkar and Alkunte performed as the main characters in the film's previsualization, which served as the basis for the final animation of the film. In an interview with SheThePeopleTV, Shahane spoke about why animation became the perfect vessel for this story, the ingrained inequalities of domestic labour, and why she rejected a "happy ending" for her protagonist.

Initially conceived as a live-action short, Loop Line shifted to animation when Shahane realised the format could amplify her protagonist’s emotional reality. "There’s an element of escapism—her flights of fancy, her surreal experiences—that demanded animation," she explained. The film’s visual contrasts are deliberate: muted browns and purples dominate her oppressive home life, while her fantasies explode in sunlit yellows and watery blues.

Shahane drew inspiration from Monet’s paintings of water lilies and Van Gogh's sunflowers to craft these dreamscapes. "Water is meditative; it’s where time stands still. I wanted the audience to feel that freedom," she said. But when her character’s anger erupts, the screen floods with violent reds. "Red signifies bloodletting, rage—the emotions she can’t express aloud."

The Invisible Labour of Women

Loop Line subtly critiques the societal dismissal of domestic work. Shahane, who has balanced acting, directing, and motherhood, spoke candidly about the ingrained expectations placed on women. "Housework is a 24-hour job. Even in ‘equal’ households, the instinct to take charge often falls to women," she noted. Her protagonist—a middle-class housewife without financial agency—embodies millions of women who "live thankless lives," their labour unnoticed, their creativity stifled.

"Girls are raised to see domestic work as a ‘life skill,’ while boys learn it late, if at all," Shahane observed. "We need to normalise respect for this labour—and the idea that women deserve time for themselves."

In one of the film’s most poignant moments, the protagonist smiles only when daydreaming, watching tea steam and cigarette smoke twist into a dancing girl. "Art becomes her only liberation," Shahane said.

Rejecting the "Happy Ending" Trope

Unlike stories where women "take a radical step" to escape toxicity, Loop Line offers no resolution. "Millions of women don’t have the agency to leave. They endure, finding solace only in their minds," Shahane explained. Her film leans into this tragedy: the protagonist’s fantasies are her sole refuge, her anger never voiced. "I wanted to show the relentlessness of emotional abuse—how it grinds you down until you vanish into the routine."

Advice to Young Storytellers: "Write From Your Gut"

Shahane’s message to emerging creators is uncompromising: authenticity over marketability. "Your first stories should come from your core. What makes your voice unique isn’t the plot—it’s your perspective." She urged filmmakers to resist chasing formulas. "Even the greats fail. Make what you want to see. Someone will connect with it."

As Loop Line heads to the New York Indian Film Festival, Shahane’s film stands as a testament to the power of personal storytelling—and a reminder of the silent battles fought behind closed doors.