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Khaleej Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Women claim spotlight in India's macho movie industry
India's giant movie industry is known for its macho, men-centric storylines, but a wave of women filmmakers is helping to break the mould. "More and more women are writing their stories, turning them into films," said writer-director Reema Kagti, who believes the trend brings a more "real and healthy perspective" to movies, with complex, outspoken women characters who are masters of their own story. The world's most populous nation churns out 1,800 to 2,000 films in more than 20 languages annually—and Hindi-language Bollywood is one of the largest segments, with more than 300 productions. Yet the films have often failed to portray women authentically, choosing instead to box them into being passive housewives or mothers who bow to societal pressure. A 2023 study by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences found that female characters in most chart-topping Indian films play the role of a romantic interest—and are "fair skinned with a thin body type and a small screen time". But industry insiders point to a slate of women-directed movies earning international acclaim that have also scored well at the tough domestic box office. Malayalam-language film All We Imagine as Light, a poetic tale about two nurses forging an intergenerational friendship, was the first Indian production to win the Grand Prix at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. Director Payal Kapadia shunned the one-dimensional portrayal of women on Indian screens which tends to mimic "unrealistic standards set by society", she said, in favour of one that allows women to "just be ourselves, authentic and true to how we are in everyday life". India's official entry for the 2025 Oscars was Kiran Rao's Lost Ladies — Laapataa Ladies in Hindi—a comedy which challenges convictions surrounding marriage and womanhood, a sign of a shift, even if it missed the final shortlist. 'More inclusive narratives' It's not only arthouse films that are winning hearts. Mainstream movies with strong women co-leads are filling up theatres as well. Stree 2, a horror comedy featuring Bollywood star Shraddha Kapoor, smashed box office records last year, beating earnings by superstar Shah Rukh Khan's action flick Jawan. And Crew, a heist comedy about flight attendants, was widely seen as a win for women-centric movies. "Women still face challenges in telling stories from their perspective", said actor-producer Dia Mirza. "However, the increasing presence of female directors, producers and writers is paving the way for more inclusive narratives." Movies can also tackle the way regressive traditions manifest in the daily lives of Indian families. Mrs., a Hindi-language film released in February, dives into the unseen labour of a newlywed housewife, her silenced aspirations and the societal conditioning she struggles with. "Across social media, you can see people posting -- that the majority of women in India go through this turmoil," said Lakshmi Lingam, a Mumbai-based sociologist. She points out that there was no backlash to the film. "The voices of women saying, 'Yes, this is true and I can see myself there' is very high," she said. "So, there is that kind of ecosystem of women resonating with many of the ideas these women filmmakers are making." 'Still misogynistic' Industry figures suggest progress is being made, albeit slowly. Last year, 15 per cent of Indian movies surveyed hired women for key production positions, up from 10 per cent in 2022, according to a report by Ormax Media and Film Companion Studios. Konkona Sen Sharma, an actor-director who is a champion of women-oriented cinema, is cautiously optimistic about the role women will play in the future. Women are increasingly present in the film industry, but "we still don't have enough women in positions of power," she said. Filmmaker Shonali Bose points out that women directors need the independence and financial backing to tell new stories. "Our problem is not to do with gender, it is getting to make what we want to make," Bose said. "When we want to make world cinema, we are facing market forces which are getting increasingly conservative." Lingam, the sociologist, said that while moviegoers are being "exposed to the changing discourse", mainstream films are "still very male-orientated" and plotlines "still misogynistic". "Some of the women scriptwriters have great ideas, but producers don't want to back those stories," she said. "They intervene and make so many changes by converting the female protagonist into a male to make a 'larger-than-life character'. At the end of the day, the buck actually dictates what can be made and what cannot."
Japan Times
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
Women fight for the spotlight in India's macho movie industry
India's giant movie industry is known for its macho, men-centric storylines, but a wave of women filmmakers is helping to break the mold. "More and more women are writing their stories, turning them into films," says writer-director Reema Kagti, who believes the trend brings a more "real and healthy perspective" to movies, with complex, outspoken women characters who are masters of their own story. The world's most populous nation churns out 1,800 to 2,000 films in more than 20 languages annually — and Hindi-language Bollywood is one of the largest segments, with more than 300 productions. Yet the films have often failed to portray women authentically, choosing instead to box them into being passive housewives or mothers who bow to societal pressure. A 2023 study by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences found that female characters in most chart-topping Indian films play the role of a romantic interest — and are "fair skinned with a thin body type and a small screen time." But industry insiders point to a slate of women-directed movies earning international acclaim that have also scored well at the tough domestic box office. Malayalam-language film "All We Imagine as Light," a poetic tale about two nurses forging an intergenerational friendship, was the first Indian production to win the Grand Prix at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. Director Payal Kapadia shunned the one-dimensional portrayal of women on Indian screens, which tends to mimic "unrealistic standards set by society," she says, in favor of one that allows women to "just be ourselves, authentic and true to how we are in everyday life." India's official entry for the 2025 Oscars was Kiran Rao's "Lost Ladies" — "Laapataa Ladies" in Hindi — a comedy that challenges convictions surrounding marriage and womanhood, a sign of a shift, even if it missed the final shortlist. It is not only art house films that are winning hearts. Mainstream movies with strong women co-leads are filling up theaters as well. "Stree 2," a horror comedy featuring Bollywood star Shraddha Kapoor, smashed box-office records last year, beating earnings by superstar Shah Rukh Khan's action flick "Jawan." And "Crew," a heist comedy about flight attendants, was widely seen as a win for women-centric movies. "Women still face challenges in telling stories from their perspective," says actor-producer Dia Mirza. "However, the increasing presence of female directors, producers and writers is paving the way for more inclusive narratives." Movies can also tackle the way regressive traditions manifest in the daily lives of Indian families. "Mrs.," a Hindi-language film released in February, dives into the unseen labor of a newlywed housewife, her silenced aspirations and the societal conditioning she struggles with. "Across social media, you can see people posting — that the majority of women in India go through this turmoil," says Lakshmi Lingam, a Mumbai-based sociologist. She points out that there was no backlash to the film. "The voices of women saying, 'Yes, this is true and I can see myself there' is very high," she says. "So, there is that kind of ecosystem of women resonating with many of the ideas these women filmmakers are making." Industry figures suggest progress is being made, albeit slowly. Last year, 15% of Indian movies surveyed hired women for key production positions, up from 10% in 2022, according to a report by Ormax Media and Film Companion Studios. Konkona Sen Sharma, an actor-director who is a champion of women-oriented cinema, is cautiously optimistic about the role women will play in the future. Women are increasingly present in the film industry, but "we still don't have enough women in positions of power," she says. Filmmaker Shonali Bose points out that women directors need the independence and financial backing to tell new stories. "Our problem is not to do with gender, it is getting to make what we want to make," Bose says. "When we want to make world cinema, we are facing market forces which are getting increasingly conservative." Lingam, the sociologist, says that while moviegoers are being "exposed to the changing discourse," mainstream films are "still very male-orientated" and plot lines are "still misogynistic." "Some of the women scriptwriters have great ideas, but producers don't want to back those stories," she says. "They intervene and make so many changes by converting the female protagonist into a male to make a 'larger-than-life character.' At the end of the day, the buck actually dictates what can be made and what cannot."
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
India's forgotten actor who lost her legacy to caste oppression
At a time when women's participation in the film industry was frowned upon, a young woman dared to dream differently. In 1920s pre-independence India, PK Rosy became the first female lead in Malayalam-language cinema, in what is now the southern state of Kerala. She starred in a movie called Vigathakumaran, or The Lost Child, in the 1920s. But instead of being remembered as a pioneer, her story was buried - erased by caste discrimination and social backlash. Rosy belonged to a lower-caste community and faced intense criticism for portraying an upper-caste woman in Vigathakumaran. Almost a hundred years later, there is no surviving evidence of Rosy's role. The film's reel was destroyed and the cast and crew have all died. Only a few pictures of the film from a contested press release dated October 1930 survive, along with an unverified black-and-white photo popularised by local newspapers as Rosy's only portrait. Even a Google Doodle celebrating her 120th birthday used an illustration similar to the woman in the photograph. But Rosy's nephew and others who have researched her life told the BBC that they could not conclusively say that it is her in the picture. PK Rosy was born as Rajamma in the early 1900s in the erstwhile kingdom of Travancore, now Kerala. She belonged to a family of grass cutters from the Pulaya community, part of the Dalits, who are at the bottom of India's harsh caste hierarchy and have been historically oppressed. "People from the Pulaya community were considered slave labour and auctioned off with land," says Malavika Binny, a professor of history at Kannur University. "They were considered the 'lowliest'. They were flogged, raped, tied to trees and set on fire for any so-called transgressions," she adds. Despite the dire social challenges, Rosy chose to dream differently. She was supported by her uncle, who was a theatre artist himself, and with his help Rosy entered the field of entertainment. "There are few available facts about Rosy's life, but it is known that she was popular for her performances in local plays," says Vinu Abraham, the author of The Lost Heroine, a novel based on Rosy's life. While her acting skills earned admiration, it was rare for a Dalit woman to take up acting at the time. "She was likely aware of the fact that this was a new arena and making herself visible was important," says Prof Binny. She soon became a well-known figure in local theatre circles and her talent caught the eye of director JC Daniel, who was then searching for a lead actor for his film - a character named Sarojini. Daniel was aware of Rosy's caste identity and chose to cast her in the role. "She was paid five rupees a day for 10 days of filming," said Mr Abraham. "This was a substantial amount of money in the 1920s." On the day of the film's premiere, Rosy and her family were barred from attending the screening. They were stopped because they were Dalits, Rosy's nephew Biju Govindan says. And so began a chain of events that pushed Rosy out of the public eye and her home. "The crowd that came to watch the movie were provoked by two things: Rosy playing an upper-caste woman and the hero picking a flower from her hair and kissing it in one scene," said Mr Abraham. "They started throwing rocks at the screen and chased Daniel away," he added. There are differing accounts of the extent of the damage to the theatre but what is clear is the toll the incident took on both Rosy and Daniel. Daniel had spent a lot of money to establish a studio and gather resources to produce the film, and was heavily debt-ridden. Facing immense social and financial pressure, the director, who is now widely regarded as the father of Malayalam cinema, never made another film. Rosy fled her hometown after an angry mob set her house on fire. She cut all ties with her family to avoid being recognised and never spoke publicly about her past. She rebuilt her life by marrying an upper-caste man and took the name Rajammal. She lived the rest of her life in obscurity in the town of Nagercoil in Tamil Nadu, Mr Abraham says. Her children refused to accept that PK Rosy, the Dalit actor, was their mother, Rosy's nephew Mr Govindan says. "Her children were born with an upper-caste Kesavan Pillai's identity. They chose their father's seed over their mother's womb," he says. "We, her family, are part of PK Rosy's Dalit identity before the film's release," he said. "In the space they inhabit, caste restricts them from accepting their Dalit heritage. That is their reality and our family has no place in it." In 2013, a Malayalam TV channel tracked down Rosy's daughter Padma, who was living in financial strain somewhere in Tamil Nadu. She told them that she did not know much about her mother's life before her marriage but that she did not act after that. The BBC made attempts to contact Rosy's children, but their relatives said they were not comfortable with the attention. Prof Binny says that the erasure of Rosy's legacy shows how deeply caste-based trauma can run. "It can be so intense that it shapes or defines the rest of one's life," she says, adding that she is glad Rosy eventually found a safe space. In recent years, Dalit filmmakers and activists have sought to reclaim Rosy's legacy. Influential Tamil director Pa Ranjith has launched a yearly film festival in her name which celebrates Dalit cinema. A film society and foundation have also been established. But there is still a haunting sense that while Rosy was ultimately saved, it was at the cost of her passion and identity. "Rosy prioritised survival over art and, as a result, never tried to speak publicly or reclaim her lost identity. That's not her failure - it's society's," says Mr Govindan. Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
BBC News
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
PK Rosy: The forgotten Indian actor who lost her legacy to caste oppression
At a time when women's participation in the film industry was frowned upon, a young woman dared to dream 1920s pre-independence India, PK Rosy became the first female lead in Malayalam-language cinema, in what is now the southern state of starred in a movie called Vigathakumaran, or The Lost Child, in the 1920s. But instead of being remembered as a pioneer, her story was buried - erased by caste discrimination and social backlash. Rosy belonged to a lower-caste community and faced intense criticism for portraying an upper-caste woman in Vigathakumaran. Almost a hundred years later, there is no surviving evidence of Rosy's role. The film's reel was destroyed and the cast and crew have all died. Only a few pictures of the film from a contested press release dated October 1930 survive, along with an unverified black-and-white photo popularised by local newspapers as Rosy's only a Google Doodle celebrating her 120th birthday used an illustration similar to the woman in the photograph. But Rosy's nephew and others who have researched her life told the BBC that they could not conclusively say that it is her in the picture. PK Rosy was born as Rajamma in the early 1900s in the erstwhile kingdom of Travancore, now belonged to a family of grass cutters from the Pulaya community, part of the Dalits, who are at the bottom of India's harsh caste hierarchy and have been historically oppressed."People from the Pulaya community were considered slave labour and auctioned off with land," says Malavika Binny, a professor of history at Kannur University. "They were considered the 'lowliest'. They were flogged, raped, tied to trees and set on fire for any so-called transgressions," she adds. Despite the dire social challenges, Rosy chose to dream differently. She was supported by her uncle, who was a theatre artist himself, and with his help Rosy entered the field of entertainment. "There are few available facts about Rosy's life, but it is known that she was popular for her performances in local plays," says Vinu Abraham, the author of The Lost Heroine, a novel based on Rosy's her acting skills earned admiration, it was rare for a Dalit woman to take up acting at the time."She was likely aware of the fact that this was a new arena and making herself visible was important," says Prof soon became a well-known figure in local theatre circles and her talent caught the eye of director JC Daniel, who was then searching for a lead actor for his film - a character named Sarojini. Daniel was aware of Rosy's caste identity and chose to cast her in the role. "She was paid five rupees a day for 10 days of filming," said Mr Abraham. "This was a substantial amount of money in the 1920s."On the day of the film's premiere, Rosy and her family were barred from attending the were stopped because they were Dalits, Rosy's nephew Biju Govindan says. And so began a chain of events that pushed Rosy out of the public eye and her home."The crowd that came to watch the movie were provoked by two things: Rosy playing an upper-caste woman and the hero picking a flower from her hair and kissing it in one scene," said Mr Abraham."They started throwing rocks at the screen and chased Daniel away," he are differing accounts of the extent of the damage to the theatre but what is clear is the toll the incident took on both Rosy and Daniel. Daniel had spent a lot of money to establish a studio and gather resources to produce the film, and was heavily debt-ridden. Facing immense social and financial pressure, the director, who is now widely regarded as the father of Malayalam cinema, never made another film. Rosy fled her hometown after an angry mob set her house on cut all ties with her family to avoid being recognised and never spoke publicly about her past. She rebuilt her life by marrying an upper-caste man and took the name lived the rest of her life in obscurity in the town of Nagercoil in Tamil Nadu, Mr Abraham says. Her children refused to accept that PK Rosy, the Dalit actor, was their mother, Rosy's nephew Mr Govindan says. "Her children were born with an upper-caste Kesavan Pillai's identity. They chose their father's seed over their mother's womb," he says. "We, her family, are part of PK Rosy's Dalit identity before the film's release," he said."In the space they inhabit, caste restricts them from accepting their Dalit heritage. That is their reality and our family has no place in it." In 2013, a Malayalam TV channel tracked down Rosy's daughter Padma, who was living in financial strain somewhere in Tamil Nadu. She told them that she did not know much about her mother's life before her marriage but that she did not act after that. The BBC made attempts to contact Rosy's children, but their relatives said they were not comfortable with the Binny says that the erasure of Rosy's legacy shows how deeply caste-based trauma can run."It can be so intense that it shapes or defines the rest of one's life," she says, adding that she is glad Rosy eventually found a safe recent years, Dalit filmmakers and activists have sought to reclaim Rosy's legacy. Influential Tamil director Pa Ranjith has launched a yearly film festival in her name which celebrates Dalit cinema. A film society and foundation have also been established. But there is still a haunting sense that while Rosy was ultimately saved, it was at the cost of her passion and identity."Rosy prioritised survival over art and, as a result, never tried to speak publicly or reclaim her lost identity. That's not her failure - it's society's," says Mr BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
