Gaslighting Isn’t Romantic, It’s A Plot with Shiva Negar and Bela Behar

Send us Fan MailWhat if a thriller could do more than raise your pulse—what if it could help you see the early signs of harm and chart a path back to yourself? We sit with writer-producer Bella Bahar and actress Shiva Nagar to explore Deadly Vow, a film that starts with romance, swerves into danger, and refuses to look away from the realities of domestic abuse. The conversation moves from Cannes panels to late-night calls between collaborators, revealing how a story powered by empathy becomes a movement for awareness, healing, and change.Shiva brings us inside her character’s world, honoring the emotional truth of someone who once chose love and family before facing control, isolation, gaslighting, and escalating threats. Bella shares why she left a medical career to produce a project rooted in real experiences, drawing on years of advocacy through Paradise Charity and a deep belief that cinema can connect audiences to the hard-to-name patterns many endure in silence. Together, we talk about how independent film actually gets made—finding investors at markets, delivering to festivals and distributors, and protecting sensitive material—while keeping the mission front and center.At the core is sisterhood: women sharing knowledge instead of competing for the spotlight, translating industry jargon, showing up to meetings, and holding space when the work gets heavy. We discuss the first steps for someone living in fear, the importance of recognizing warning signs early, and what it means to break the cycle for children who learn what “normal” looks like at home. You’ll hear why storytelling creates empathy, how validation can be a catalyst for healing, and the simple, fierce reminder: you are not what happened to you; you are what you rise from.Deadly Vow arrives November 14. Join us to learn the signs, support survivors, and back a film made with courage and care. If this conversation moved you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review—your voice helps more listeners find resources and hope.Support the showThanks for listening! Follow us on X, Instagram and Facebook and on the podcast's official site www.theheartofshowbusiness.com