They are no longer all about sugar, spice and everything nice. Meet B-Town's reel women of today who have weathered the undercurrents of stereotypical portrayal of woman on the big screen. Analyze this. Taking from the movies like Ishqiya to Ladies Vs Ricky Behl, Tanu Weds Manu, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Delhi Belly, Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu and not to mention, The Dirty Picture, to the upcoming, Kahaani, Ek Tha Tiger, Barfee, Teri Meri Prem Kahaani, Heroine,Race 2, Cocktail, Dangerous Ishq, Agent Vinod, one common denominator that signifies these movies is the emergence of a strong female protagonist and atypical portrayal of leading women characters. And the ladies of B-Town are zeroing in on more power packed and meatier roles.
Call it the entertainment industry's smart marketing move to attract this particular target audience to the theatres and multiplexes, or Bollywood's awakening to the need to giving its women audience content that they can really relate to, this move seems to be fetching more eyeballs in terms of theatrical revenue.
Coming up with subjects that not only portray women different, but also storylines that appeal to women, many in the industry feel, is still at a nascent stage. At the same time, the movement has got much fodder from the current lot of women directors and writers who have made their own mark in the industry, is what everyone echoes in unison. Producer Shrishti Arya says, "Women are more actively taking to films and filmmaking. Directors like Zoya Akhtar, Anu Menon, Reema Kagti, Rajashree Ojha, et al brought in different style of filming a particular subject."
The entertainment market, over the last couple of years, has seen different segmentation in terms of the target audience. But what makes the game more interesting is women are considered the decision makers in movie watching process. "Last year, particularly saw the advent of very women centric films, which is now being carried forward to this year with other movies," says Ashish Patil, vice president, business and creative head of a leading production house. He adds, "The demography is very important. This is understandable given that about 50% of all movie going audiences are female who also influence the decision making on movies to watch. "
At the same time, director Supavitra Babul feels, "In India, film viewing even now is considered a family viewing experience. This is where a woman as a target audience becomes very important. Films that deal with topics which highlight various aspects of a woman's life, certainly get noticed."
Director Nupur Asthana feels, "Women's emancipation has led to the increase in number of woman movie goers in the country. The audience is evolving, so are male directors. Besides, many women directors have made these female characters appealing. Still, we haven't reached that level where we could make a movie on the lines of Something's Gotta Give which has Diane Keaton in such a powerful role."
With more scripts etched out for the real woman to relate to the female lead, B-Town seems to be treading a different path. Fair enough!
.jpg)
