Women – The Real Architects of Society

With the increasing popularity of the International Women’s Day, issues like feminism, gender equality, female infanticide and Women’s Reservation Bill have flooded the print media in India. And while it's nice to dedicate 1 day to the strong yet delicate descendant of Eve, I would be ecstatic when we begin to celebrate the uniqueness and specialness of women every day, for 365 days.

Women, today, wear many hats. Although they are still tied down by various societal pressures and impediments, I can see a ray of hope in the near future with women becoming the front-runners in all walks of life, like the Banking Sector, Armed Forces and Administrative services including politics. The entertainment industry, particularly the Indian Film Industry, is no exception to this phenomenon. Heroines/actresses are no longer treated as mere decorative pieces in movies, but have earned their place in the industry, where we now see them playing the main lead.

During the 1980’s and 1990’s, actresses were confined to roles that consisted of romancing the actor, running around trees, being assaulted by the villain, or being the helpless mother. Bollywood star Priety Zinta, in her column for BBC News Online, described this period as “the action era where the Bollywood heroine lost her strength and space to the hero.” Fortunately, this phase did not last long and in the following decades, women no longer played the second fiddle.
 

Source: dipity.com

Then again, even during the male-dominated years, powerful female protagonists still took to the silver screen. Some of the leading ladies, from the yesteryears, whose stellar performances were a success at the box office are Vyjayanthimala, Waheeda Rehman, Sharmila Tagore, Asha Parekh, Hema Malini, Rakhee, Jaya Bachchan and Rekha. Legendary actors like Nargis, Smita Patil and Shabana Azmi broke the mould with their sensitive roles in serious, women-oriented films that advocated women’s emancipation. Divas like Helen, Zeenat Aman and  Parveen Babi are Bollywood’s original “item girls,” who brought oomph and style to the silver screen.

In the last 2 decades, a mixed bag of both commercial and art films, which show strong-willed, resilient women as the central characters, have proved that female-dominance in Indian cinema is here to stay! For example, in movies like Damini, Mrityudand, Arth, Chandni Bar, Zubeidaa, Satta, Kya Kehna, Dor, Provoked, Fashion, We Are Family, and No One Killed Jessica

Unfortunately, most movies with women-centric themes fail to make an impact at the box-office. As Diksha Kamra stated in The Times of India, such movies are neither formulaic nor do they tend to connect with all segments of the society, and often miss elements that “sell more.” Superstar Shahrukh Khan once said, “Our society has its own limitations. Certain ideas will be unacceptable to our audience…We don’t see women as powerful entities. Even today, most actors will tell you that they want a homely wife who will take care of their kids and look after the house. Only when women progress will the scripts progress too.”

Nevertheless, perceptions seem to be changing within the industry with the influx of female directors. Britain-based Indian filmmaker Gurinder Chadha says that she always creates female protagonists who are very strong, vibrant and ultimately very truthful. She is known for movies like 'Bend It Like Beckham' (winner of the Best Film award at the BAFTA 2003) and ‘Bride and Prejudice’ – which show women in a positive light.

Women are breaking the stereotypes in real life and I hope that this trend will soon be imitated in reel life, too. As Bollywood actor Manoj Bajpayee assures, “It has not happened in full swing yet, but I’m sure Bollywood will see more women-centric films in the future.” Amen.

So, here’s a toast to all the wonderful women out there and a little celebration, the Bollywood way!
Happy Women's Day!

BOLLYWOOD DIVAS - BEAUTY AND BRAINS
SHAHRUKH KHAN WITH VYJAYANTHIMALA, SHARMILA TAGORE, ZEENAT AMAN, JAYA PRADA, REKHA, KAJOL, RANI MUKHERJI & PRIETY ZINTA (In order of their appearance)