The Brave New Heroine

Nonika Singh

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Just two months into the New Year and three women-centric films, two helmed by women directors, have already hit the silver screen. Look ahead, and the year looks as ‘women-full’.  A number  of films with women as the central protagonists are on the anvil. If 2020 began with Panga, Chhapaak and Thappad opening to universal critical acclaim, coming months will have films like Thalaivi, Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, Dhaakad, Shaunktala Devi and more. Hail the rise of women power in Bollywood, traditionally constructed from a male point of view as well as pandering to the male gaze.

A 2014 study, Gender Bias Without Borders: An Investigation of Female Characters in Popular Films, conducted across 11 countries may have assessed that the lowest percentage (24.9 per cent) of women characters on screen were found in movies from India but today the scenario is vastly different. The number of women-powered films has been on a steady rise. The success of films like Kahaani, Queen, Tumhari Sulu, Veere di Wedding, Neerja, Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi has consistently cleared roadblocks and paved the way for many more to follow suit. Nothing sounds sweeter than the cash registers ringing for say a Raazi.

Sure, not every film driven by women, not even the one on women shooters (Saand ki Aankh), hits the bull’s eye. The box-office figure this year, for instance, has been far from promising. Panga may have done reasonably well and Chhapaak is not exactly a flop, but the uptake of these films has been most certainly slow burn. The dismal performance of a film headlined by none other than superstar Deepika Padukone (Chhapaak) is a cause for heartburn, if not consternation. In an industry where numbers determine who is numero uno and has been precisely the reason why male actors continue to call the shots and pay parity is a distant dream, what does the tepid response to films steered by female characters bode?

Well, certainly not the end of the road. So believes Ritesh Shah, writer of Pink, which was a game-changer in many ways. Instrumental in the making of a film that redefined the notion of women’s consent, he likes to see the glass half full. All three releases of 2020 he views as significant markers creating the right buzz, eliciting positive feedback and might soon find more audiences when these stream on OTT platforms. He says, “Box office alone can’t be the barometer of success of a film. A film is also measured in terms of how many hearts it is touching,” he adds.

Filmmaker Pammi Somal, too, talks about the arc of progressive storytelling and does not see films such as Kahaani, Pink or Thappad as niche films. Anurag Singh, director of Kesari, too insists that except for a rough patch here and there, by and large women narratives are finding acceptance. He adds, “Let us not forget this is breakthrough cinema, breaking the glass ceiling.”

No doubt there is much cause for cheer as far as women portrayals are concerned. All thanks to the arrival of women writers and directors as well as new-age sensitive male directors, women in Hindi cinema are no longer putty. In sync with its real counterpart, writers like Juhi Chaturvedi and Kanika Dhillon have ensured that women on screen breathe in real, believable, relatable manner. Moulded in many progressive ways, the change began long ago with directors like Shoojit Sircar defying stereotypes. Of course, for every Piku, there is a Kabir Singh; for every Kabir Singh, there is a Thappad and the cycle may well be almost cyclical, up and down.

Spunky, bindaas, badass, ever since Aanand L Rai invented ‘Patakha Tanu’, in Tanu Weds Manu a new non-conformist image of a heroine has emerged and enraptured viewers.

Ritesh Shah feels that even commercial cinema has begun to write female roles with greater responsibility. Even in big ticket masala films like Tiger Zinda Hai, heroines are not just shaking a leg but kicking up some serious high-octane action too. The fiercely independent image is constantly winning over the subjugated prototype. From a damsel in distress to spitfire avatar, the Bollywood heroine has been born anew. Audiences gave a huge thumbs up to Tanu weds Manu, and even the irreverent girlie gang of Veere di Wedding. However, the audience is not smitten each time a woman takes charge.

Besides, often these films need to be powered by a male superstar. Take for instance Mission Mangal; with a team of women scientists at the forefront, it could well be a woman’s film. But then, it had an Akshay Kumar in a titular part to make it a successful business model. Ditto for Taapsee Pannu-starrer Badla, which had Big B casting his sway over viewers. Taapsee, however, is peeved when people refer to it as an Amitabh Bachchan film.

Anurag Singh asserts, “Films with women in commanding positions can’t be viewed as a handicap.” Ritesh Shah senses an advantage with an automatic audience (of women) and a sure-fire guarantee of about 25 crore of business. Sure it will be a while before that figure jumps to 250 crore. Few women films have entered the 100 crore club and hugely insane numbers still elude them.  But not for too long … as Anurag Singh toys with making a film on female superhero and Ritesh Shah foresees a greater variety of female parts, including one on the lines of Wonder Woman.

Right now, it may not be a level-playing field as Juhi Chaturvedi said, “Risks are weighed more conservatively,” but the female voice is inching closer to centrestage. It may not upstage the overwhelming male presence. But Bollywood is certainly unsettling the gender prism of stereotypes. Pammi Somal hits the nail on the head when she says, “Where we are going is far more exciting.”