Women centric films making a big mark in Bollywood!
We just celebrated the International Women’s
Day on 8th 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.
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