Oh Wo-mania!

 The need to raise the bar for women-oriented roles in Hindi films has been a big bone of contention between writers, filmmakers on one side and female actors and the audience on the other. There have been a few glorious women-powered films here and there through the ‘90s that increased in the millennium with films like Chandni Bar (2001), Fashion (2008), The Dirty Picture (2011), Kahaani (2012), English Vinglish (2012), Queen (2013), Mary Kom (2014), Mardaani (2014), Pink (2016), Neerja (2016), Raazi (2018) and Thappad (2020). 

Circa 2020 and the narrative has changed most definitely. While the emergence of  multiplexes gave a thrust to small films clicking at the box office, the growth of OTT platforms has today urged filmmakers to push the envelope in terms of storytelling and who can be the protagonist. Cinema today is no longer suspended by the superficial thread of the formula film which thankfully has died an unkind death at the hands of eager beavers lapping up Netflix, Disney Hotstar and Amazon Prime Video. The age-old theory of ‘heroic films’ are what the junta want, no longer rings true. Post-Covid when watching films at home became a daily norm rather than a weekend habit, filmmakers have been forced to find new ground to share their ideas and a strong protagonist to make it credible, without needing it to be testosterone-empowered. The slow and steady trend of discovering novelty through art has whetted the appetite of cineastes who now want to see something new, something unique and something that doesn’t necessarily  entail relegating our women to being wallflowers in a masculine plot. 

While television in the ‘90s may have shone a light on women-centric and female-oriented soap operas, films had yet to shed that kind of spotlight on women. May be it was the fall of the giant Khans and the slack in their superstardom that held sway over the box office for decades. May be it was just the lack of good content on OTT platforms but the propelling of the woman in to playing relatable, strong and substantial roles has taken root for sure. 

I would also like to give credit to filmmakers like Sanjay Leela Bhansali who have never shied away from making their sultry female protagonist sweep the carpet under the typical hero’s feet with her gaze, her gestures, her overpowering charisma and charm. Never are these attributes used to underplay her tact, her intelligence, her strength of character or her core values. No surprise then that his Gangubai Kathiawadi in 2022 rang the box office bells like no film in this genre. It became the harbinger of good times in a year that saw films by male actors collapse like a pack of cards for example Cirkus, Raksha Bandhan and Runway 34. The same year gave us Qala, Mili, Darlings, Three of Us and Gehraiyaan. 

Let’s flash forward to 2023/2024 to see how the trend is keeping up: 

(May contain spoilers)

Laapata Ladies 

An unassuming, humble and poignant film about women who are lost behind the veil (figuratively) and in the film (literally!) Casting-wise, the only legit star in this tragi-comic saga is the ever-reliable Ravi Kishen and yet, it is the story which emerges as the real star as characters much younger and more vulnerable take centrestage. As the story unfolds, it is the innocent Phool and the rebellious Jaya who take the story forward. Gradually, the women take on the task of questioning society in a purposeful and hard-hitting manner. This is manifested through the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in Deepak Kumar’s house who debate whether they should become friends through shared wisdom and kinship or the wonderful Chhaya Kadam who plays the unforgiving but kind Manju Maai who sows the seeds of independence and industry in the wide-eyed little girl Phool. Sending ripples in the calm waters of societal diktats and dogma, the real tone of the film is set by its innocent brides, almost too young to be wed, at the threshold of their entire life being defined by the men they marry. It is moving, authentic and relevant in its message as well as its moral value. 

Heeramandi 

This is one series that has bestowed abject power in the hands of women so much so that men rally around them or are very much used as a means to fulfil their own motives. As Mallikajaan played by a domineering Manisha Koirala puts it, her ilk may be courtesans dancing to please the nawabs of Heeramandi, but they choose who they dance for, they do not trade their craft and do not exhibit their art outside the fortress-like confines of their kothi, the thriving and resplendent Shahi Mahal. These women tied to their fate by birth or circumstance are nubile, ambitious, clever and strong-willed, exerting an indomitable influence on both their royal clientele and the English rulers who are equally intimidated and intrigued by them. In the end, these women symbolise beauty, grace, etiquette and artistic pursuit and excellence as well as they propagate defiance, sacrifice, freedom, independence and fortitude. This is encapsulated mesmerisingly in the tear-jerking march they set off on, in the closing notes of the film. Be it the delusional Lajjo, the opportunistic Waheeda, the hopeless and hapless lover Alam, the gentle but revolutionary Bibbo or the cunning Fareedan or even the fiercely loyal Satto and Phatto, these are all distinctly written parts in a series that does not apologise for the fiesty flare of feminism.

Crew 

This money heist may not be the most original of a film, but let’s give an applause to the women who still manage to make it immensely watchable and whistle-worthy! I don’t remember the last Hindi film which was headlined by three women and still managed to make it sell without the need to push a few suave men in to the party or be dictated by the ‘bechari abala naari’ concept. Tabu, Kareena and Kriti play a gang of girls who are out to claim what they feel they deserve and make no mistake, they get it right with their easy camaraderie and a conscious distancing from the ‘holier than thou’ avatar society would like to cast them in.

Article 370

A surprising new infusion of oestrogen in a characteristically male territory is Article 370. From the get go, it is Yami Gautam’s film- whether it is tracking down terrorists in Kashmir or hatching plots in hand with the government through the furtive operations of the NIA. It is a dream role for any female actor where wielding a gun should come as easy as commanding a team of expert investigators to cull the corrupt and communal tentacles that trap the troubled land of Kashmir. Bolstering her stance is no handsome male superior or avuncular politician but a svelte and stoic Priyamani. While Yami is engaged in a tussle involving brain and brawn both, it is Priyamani who walks the polished and perfumed corridors of the Parliament to assert pressure and point, in order to bring about the abrogation of the Article 370. Without missing a step, she holds her own weight, whether it is with the brooding Home Minister or the resolute PM, playing an integral and groundbreaking role in the culmination of the political events that unfold. 

(The title of this post is a popular song that gave women their share of the meaty pie in Gangs of Wasseypur 2- a revenge saga which could easily have turned out to be a gangster-infested bloodbath steamrolled by men in the year 2012. Incidentally, it also catapulted music director Sneha Khanvalkar to the halls of fame with her unconventional, rooted to the hinterland and yet so contemporary melodies that seeped in to the soul of the film.)