Chick(ened) OUT!

“This is because men make films,and under the false perception that women can’t be friends. First,they find it a threat,second,they’re biologically and genetically conditioned to believe that women don’t have a life. It’s in their DNA,” introspects filmmaker and television producer Vinta Nanda. According to her,a ‘Sex and the City’ is a far cry in India,and the only woman who shattered some glass ceilings is Farah Khan. “But she’s got Shah Rukh Khan! Women as friends,or more than an accessory to the hero will find a place in commercial cinema only when we have more women filmmakers,and studios and distributors who’ll sell it,” feels Nanda,adding how it’s a global perception that ‘female bonding is a myth’. “They are either seen as sworn enemies or lesbians,or restricted to low-budget,serious art cinema,” she mentions filmmakers who’ve focused on women like Meghna Gulzar,Shona Urvashi,Deepa Mehta et al.

It’s not that the Indian cinema has completely written off the fairer sex. “There was a tradition,and it had films like Mother India,Pakeezah,Umrao Jaan…just that over the years,we’ve lost it somewhere,” director Mazhar Kamran still doesn’t know ‘why’ women are not portrayed as ‘best buddies’. “‘I really don’t know,” he answers,baffled. “In general,women in cinema are on the periphery. All I can say is that during my research for my film,Mohandas,I came across the fact that cinema,more than anything is driven by the distribution chain. Somehow,it’s become a norm that male stars are the only saleable commodity,and that there’s no market for women stories! It’s a warped business logic,” he points out.

Desktop divas,eye and arm candy,an object of affection,a fantasy dream girl – that’s just about the definition of the Indian hottie (read: actress). “Female protagonists? Now that’s an oxymoron,” laughs filmmaker Paromita Vohra. “People still feel that a woman has no inner life,that she’s just an accessory to the guy’s story. Makers hardly see her as a full character or a thriving personality. Such films are a rarity,otherwise,it’s all stuck in typical hero-driven plotlines,” she reflects.

While filmmakers like Madhur Bhandarkar,the Bhatts,Mahesh Manjrekar have taken the risk and delivered strong women-oriented cinema,“bottomline is that you make money on men in films,and women on TV,” shoots film producers Guneet Monga. “Tulsi,Baa,Parvati,Rani on telly and Khans and Kapoors on silver screen – the lines are crystal clear. Unless we get commercially viable scripts,women won’t feature anywhere,” she highlights the hard facts of the game.

It’s a male-dominated world,and “the demographics of the audience is male. The 18 to 34 age group of cine-goers comprises mainly men,and films are therefore targetted at them. This is a global truth,” says Sikandar’s director Piyush Jha,who,by the way,is looking forward to change. In fact,the man has come across an interesting script with four women as central characters! “And I’ll make it,for I believe in portraying my leading ladies as strong characters,” he says,adding how Sikandar will find a bigger acceptance and audience in women. Which reminds us words of Anurag Kashyap: Dev D was shown to houseful of women,and they lapped it up. “Because,I gave voice and character to the otherwise invisible Paro and Chandramukhi.”

While we wait for change to ‘unspool’,here’s a perspective: Men are from,live and rule the earth,while women,gaze on it,and occasionally descend from Venus!