Women in Action

“The dominant narrative of women will only change through pop culture,” said Chatterjee. “It’s not about telling a boy or a girl how to behave, but rather about effortless storytelling that allows people to accept characters equally effortlessly.” Chatterjee gave the example of Sairat, a movie that did not have stereotypical representations of gender. “People fell in love with Sairat and its characters,” she said.

Andhare spoke of how his company believed early on that heroism could come from a hero as well as a heroine. However, he confessed he faced difficulties in selling films that have strong female protagonists. “If I’m talking to a distributor who is sitting in the heartland of UP, a film with a male lead is a much easier sell than one with a female lead. But I do see this bias slowly starting to chip away.”

Tikoo noted that one of the biggest mistakes in discussion around women is that men are kept out. “We need to collaborate with men,” she said. “After all, they control the politics.”

FICCI Frames closes today with Ronnie Screwvala, Founder Trustee, Swades Foundation, Unilazer Ventures and Raghav Bahl, Founder, Quintillion Media Pvt Ltd, in discussion with Sudhanshu Vats, CEO, Viacom 18, about the road ahead for M & E, which needs to be mapped with caution and wisdom.