Women centric films making a big mark in Bollywood!

We just celebrated the International Women’s Day on 8^th March. But it seems the celebration of women and their incredible stories is going to be continued in our Hindi film industry throughout the year. A close look at the number of heroine oriented films slated to enter cinema halls this year at least suggests so. ‘Phillauri’, ‘Anaarkali Of Aaraah’, ‘Begum Jaan’, ‘Naam Shabana’, ‘Noor’, ‘Haseena – The Queen Of Mumbai’, ‘Simran’, ‘Padmavati’ and ‘Tumhari Sulu’ are some of the highly anticipated Hindi films of the year 2017 which prove that women centric movies have gone mainstream in Bollywood, an industry which has traditionally been regarded as ambassadors of Indian culture.  

Though most of these films are moderate budgeted, they feature some of the most sought-after actresses of the industry, including Anushka Sharma, Vidya Balan, Sonakshi Sinha, Shraddha Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut and Taapsee Pannu to name a few. So, what are the reasons that have given impetus to the production of female oriented films in a male dominated industry like Bollywood? One of the prime reasons for this upsurge might be that the industry has received a good response from the audience for women oriented stories which released over the period of last few months and years. These films are made on small to medium budget but, when they are released, they go on to make good money at the box office, at times, more money than big star studded films pull in. So, it goes without saying that return on investment has given a major fillip to the sudden surge of women oriented films in the industry.

In last few years a string of films revolving around women, their everyday life and struggle has found a good chunk of the audience not only in multiplexes but single screens also. ‘Fashion’, ‘No One Killed Jessica’, ‘The Dirty Picture’, ‘Kahaani’, ‘English Vinglish’, ‘Gulaab Gang’, ‘Mardaani’, ‘NH 10’, ‘Queen’, ‘Mary Kom’, ‘Piku’, ‘Angry Indian Goddesses’, ‘Bajirao Mastani’, ‘Neerja’, ‘Jai Gangaajal’, ‘Pink’, and the most recent ‘Dear Zindagi’, all these films have strong women characters. The woman of these films is strong, ambitious and rebellious, too. She can fight against the justice meted out to her on her own. She can live her life on her own terms and conditions. She does not want to know a foreign language to prove her worth. She finds herself complete the way she is. Some of the actresses featuring in these films even walked away with all the awards possible, including the much coveted Filmfare and National Awards for.

These films worked because the part which came to actresses was meatier than what they had been doing in a film featuring male superstars. None of the aforementioned film had a budget exceeding Rs. 35 crores, but they pulled in double the total cost spent on production and promotion. On the other hand, several big budget movies featuring the biggest male stars of the industry sank at the ticket window without a trace. Though a lot needs to be done to raise the female representation in Hindi films, these movies have at least started a dialogue about a range of issues that were never even on anyone’s agenda before.

We all know that films based on women have been made in the past also, including ‘Mother India’, ‘Aurat’, ‘Sujata’, ‘Sharda’, ‘Jyoti Bani Jwala’, ‘Naari’, ‘Pakeezah’, ‘Shahab Biwi Aur Gulam’ Seema, ‘Khoobsurat’, ‘Guddi’, ‘Kora Kagaz’, ‘Anamika’, ‘Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki’ and ‘Bandit Queen’ to name just a few. There were many filmmakers who based their story on a female character. But those films were few and far between. Now the number is increasing. And it is increasing by leaps and bounds. If female representation in Hindi films continues to witness an upward growth, the time will not be far when heroine oriented films will also make Rs. 100 and Rs. 200 crores and join the most coveted clubs with aplomb.