The phrase ‘women-centric films in Bollywood’ suggests films focusing on the issues faced by women in today’s society. Never will you find an Indian actress wielding guns and kicking ass. They are more likely to be portrayed as a helpless mother, devoted wife, over-caring sister, daughter or a vamp. But it looks likes the times they are a changing.
Women-centric films have always been able to target only a very niche audience. Though they have brought women into the spotlight and got critical acclaim, they haven’t been commercial hits. Films like Fiza (2000), Chandni Bar (2001), Chameli (2003), Satta (2003), Dor (2006) and Corporate (2006) were a critical success but a dud at Box office.
If you look back in history, Bollywood has always been a domain ruled by male actors. All the major hits and commercial successes have had a superstar actor in the lead. The three Khans namely Aamir Khan, Sharukh Khan and Salman Khan are credited with bringing Bollywood to where it is today. Many films with one of them in the lead have worked on their star power alone. Such a thing can never happen with an Indian actress. Producer Ekta Kapoor summed this up in an interview when she said: “In cinema, it’s the males you idolize and the females you fantasize about.”
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| The films responsible for the change... |
But now directors like Vishal Bharadwaj and newcomers Alankrita Shrivastava and Rajkumar Gupta are trying to break the mould and present women in a more realistic and unconventional way. Gupta’s film ‘No One Killed Jessica’ breaks the norm by casting two actresses in the lead rather than a leading male actor. Starring Vidya Balan and Rani Mukherji, the film created a buzz as it was inspired by the 1999 murder of model Jessica Lall.
Films as they say are a reflection of real life. Women in India and around the world are redefining their status and role in society and that is being reflected in Hindi cinema. Women are no longer the shy or sensitive sorts who hide behind the veil, but very much on par with men. Power is slowly being balanced in today’s world and it is becoming evident with these films.
It is so refreshing to see the change in the way women are being portrayed on the screen. In the 80's and 90's there were some really perverse depictions of women, objectifying them to the core and making them appear like air heads. But Aisha proved that today’s female characters can be strong minded and contain substance, which is probably why the word ‘heroine’ is gradually being replaced by ‘actress'.
It is so refreshing to see the change in the way women are being portrayed on the screen. In the 80's and 90's there were some really perverse depictions of women, objectifying them to the core and making them appear like air heads. But Aisha proved that today’s female characters can be strong minded and contain substance, which is probably why the word ‘heroine’ is gradually being replaced by ‘actress'.
Other films like Bharadwaj’s ‘7 Khoon Maaf’ and Alankrita’s ‘Turning 30’ have women in important lead parts and ‘Aisha’, a modern adaptation of the 1815 British novel Emma by Jane Austen is the best example. It was well received by the audience. These films are also raking in the moolah which will only encourage the directors to make more such films. Aisha grossed a total of Rs. 18.75 crore at the box office, while No One Killed Jessica, made on a budget of Rs. 9 crore generated a business of Rs. 40 crore worldwide.
And it doesn’t stop there as Bharadwaj is yet again gearing up to make another female oriented film that is inspired from a chapter of writer S. Hussain Zaidi's book, 'Mafia Queens of Mumbai'. Nagesh Kukunoor director of Dor is currently making a film ‘Mod’ starring Ayesha Takia in the lead.
