About time: 2016 a great year for women filmmakers in Bollywood

An increasing number of women filmmakers are impressing the audiences with their projects.

More power to the ladies, as the year 2016 has not only seen a rise in the number of women directors in Bollywood, but their films have also been striking a chord with the audience.

Filmmaker Nitya Mehra is ready to roll out her directorial with Sidharth Malhotra and Katrina Kaif.

Established women filmmakers such as Farah Khan, Zoya Akhtar, Gauri Shinde and Divya Khosla Kumar were joined by the likes of Anu Menon, Ashwini Iyer Tiwari and Sudha Kongara, whose films garnered praise this year, and await Konkona Sen Sharma and Nitya Mehra, among others, to join the club with their upcoming projects.

“Everywhere in the world and in every sphere, women are doing more things in male-dominated fields, and films are no different. If the statistics are to be believed, this year can be a significant one for women in films,” says Shinde, who directed English Vinglish (2012) and will soon be ready with the release of her upcoming Alia Bhatt and Shah Rukh Khan starrer.

Filmmaker Gauri Shinde will soon be releasing her Alia Bhatt and Shah Rukh Khan starrer.

Filmmaker Anu Menon feels female perspective still needs more push in the mainstream cinema. (Shivam Saxena/HT photo)

Actor Kalki Koechlin, who starred in Menon’s independent directorial, Waiting, says lady directors bring something different to the table. “It’s great to see more female directors. It offers new perspectives. I’ve worked with Zoya (Akhtar), Shonali (Bose) and Konkona (Sen Sharma) as well. I hope there are many more,” she says.

As for Menon, while she’s happy with the spotlight on the ladies, she stresses there’s still a long way to go. “There’s parity in the smaller budgeted films driven by content, but the female representation is lacking in the mainstream cinema. A female point of view needs to reach a larger audience,” she says.

Read: More women should turn directors: Divya Khosla Kumar

Divya Khosla Kumar, who has belted out films like Yaariyan (2014) and Sanam Re earlier this year, says women are received well in the industry. “My team has all men and I have never felt any kind of gender bias. They treat me as a creative person and creativity cannot be classified on the basis of gender. Filmmaking is a tough job, and women are strong enough to take it up,” says Kumar.

Filmmaker Divya Khosla Kumar feels creativity cannot be classified on the basis of gender.

Does it make a difference if a film is helmed by a man or a woman? No, says actor Pulkit Samrat. He played the lead in Kumar’s Sanam Re, and says: “I don’t really think there is any difference because art is not gender specific. You need to be good at your art for the world to call it a masterpiece, regardless of being a female or a make. And if there is any difference, I would shamelessly admit that female directors are any day more creative, expressive and artistic than males.”

Trade analyst Amod Mehra agrees direction isn’t just a man’s field anymore. “It’s nice to see that women are calling the shots not just in front of the camera but also behind it. Time and again women in the industry have proved they are wonderful storytellers,” he says.

Scenario in Bollywood vis-à-vis world cinema

While the number of women directors releasing films in 2016 in Hollywood and Korean film industry is more than Indian directors, Bollywood is better than many other film industries including Nollywood (Nigerian cinema).

(Inputs from Michelle Moses)

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