When women call the shots - Bollywood director chooses Jane Austen for her maiden film
by Aparna Phadke Times of India
In films, they've been muses who took on different avatars for their men.
For the hero, the woman invoked feelings of passion, for the son she was this fountain of love, for the bahu she could either be a nasty or a loving mother-in-law - whatever role a woman played, a film is almost always incomplete without a woman's presence. Today, however, women are not only adding value to a film on screen, they are often the ones behind the scenes, calling the shots and saying action and cut. Three films Aisha, Kajraare and Peepli Live, which will be released soon, all have women as directors and NT finds out if women have moved beyond the grease paint and spotlight and are carving a niche for themselves in the directorial arena...
'Know your work'
She's chosen Jane Austen's book for her maiden film and the sure footedness with which she has entered Bollywood is creating more than just a buzz. Meet Rajshree Ojha, the debutante director, whose film Aisha will be released today. Quiz her on women directors carving a niche in Bollywood and she says, "Women directors have always been around. I've followed the works of Aparna Sen, Sai Paranjape, Kalpana Lajmi and I think they've made some beautiful films. But yes, today their numbers are increasing and it's a good thing." And did she find the going tough? To this she says, "I think if you know what you want, everybody listens to you. If there was any struggle it was because the Bollywood turf was new to me. Once I settled in, it was as tough or easy as it is for any director - male or female."
'Prove your manhood'
For Pooja Bhatt, it's her fourth directorial venture Kajraare that will hit screens soon. So, ask Pooja, is being a woman ever came in the way of her making films, and she says, "Not really. But you see like in politics, which is a male dominated profession, in films too, women directors have to prove their manhood. If they act tough they have to be ready to take names like slavedriver etc in their stride. If they relax on sets, they even might be called lazy! But, I just look at the work at hand and there's lot of it - especially if you are working on a tight budget, which I always do." And how comfortable are men while taking instructions given to the men? Any ego problems? To this she says, "If you know what you want, I guess nobody has a problem doing work for you and they even respect you." Agrees Rajshree, saying, "I've worked with Abhay Deol and I have had no problem working with him. He's been just as cooperative as any star on the sets."
Three cheers to women
From the road rarely taken, to a road that's being walked on often by women directors, B-town's certainly changing. In the recent times, Farah Khan, Zoya Akhtar, Nandita Das, Meghna Gulzar have all made films that are not gender specific. But, not as much as it should. This is the view held by Peepi Live director Anusha Rizvi. The director has gone on record to say that till date Bollywood has had very few female directors, which is a cause for concern. But, also giving the audience something to cheer about, she says, "Women filmmakers have proved themselves time and again. I believe that the decade ahead will belong to women directors!" With none other than Aamir Khan supporting her venture under his banner, Anusha has all the reason to feel optimistic. But, will other producers be this open to women directors? Says young producer Amita Pathak, who produced the film Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge, "For the producer, a project should make sound business sense. If the script gives me this confidence, I will not see if a man or woman is the director. I will just see if it's an able person directing the film."
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