Mumbai, Sep 1 (IANS): Debutante actress Pooja Pandey will be seen playing a challenging role of a rape victim in the upcoming film 'Siya' and to portray it perfectly she had met sexual assault survivors before shooting.

Sharing her experience, she says: "To understand their agony, struggle and journey it was very important for me to meet them and build a close bond with them. Getting to know them was an eye opener for me and it was such a great learning experience for me. It has immensely helped me to shape my character and to play my part well on screen."

Pooja further elaborates that these women are daring and strong to face the hurdles in life and their story needs to come out in front of everyone.

"These women are real brave hearts and their story is something the world should be aware of. Women are not weak, they are empowered and strong and to have such cases prevalent is heart wrenching. It was very difficult for me to keep a straight face while listening to these survivors' stories and I had broken down during our meeting with them," she concludes.

Manish Mundra's directorial venture 'Siya' features Vineet Kumar Singh and debutant Pooja Pandey in pivotal roles. It is the story of girl, who is sexually assaulted and what all she has to go through in her life and fight for the justice.

The film is produced by Drishyam Films and is all set to release on September 16.