Woman...yeah!

It began with Vidya Balan in Kahaani and The Dirty Picture. A spate of woman-centric films followed that struck a chord with audiences. Be it Priyanka Chopra’s Mary Kom, Anushka Sharma’s NH10 or Deepika Padukone’s Piku, the industry witnessed a paradigm shift. Raising a toast to woman-power, Bollywood actresses discuss the shifting trends in the industry’s outlook towards women…

Vidya Balan
I think it’s still changing. Now, it’s changing more rapidly than it did a few years ago. I was responding to the hunger in me. I went ahead and did those films I did. Thankfully, they did really well. The fact that those films were being written, is evidence that the society and the industry is changing, which is why people got nspired to write those scripts. My hunger overpowers every other emotion in me so I was unafraid to venture out. People started encouraging me and more and more films started getting made. Today, the situation is such that all good films that have come out in the past year are with women. Although being female-centric films, each film is different, engaging and interesting. The scope and variety is more now and the better these films do, more such films will be made. If even 0.1% of the credit is coming to me, I humbly accept it and it makes me feel very good but I do think that it’s a function of the times.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Strong women characters have always dominated the industry. But the difference between then and now is that people treat women and heroines, especially with a lot more respect. I have always veered towards strong women characters. I have done a Chokher Bali and a Raincoat when no one would have dared taking that risk. Even if you see Guzaarish, it might be about Ethan, but there’s a strong Sofia in the background without whom, the film would have been incomplete. Today, when a Sanjay Gupta who’s known for his hero-centric films has decided to take up the baton and make a completely woman-centric film like Jazbaa, you know that the change has slowly started. And in years to come, it will only grow bigger and better.

Priyanka Chopra
Today, more directors are trying to experiment, keeping in mind a central woman character. Initially, it was a risk. Now, it’s a genre. When I did Fashion, people told me I was being stupid. They told me, ‘Aisi filmein is stage pe koi nahi karta. You will be finished. ’. But more than everything, the paradigm shift has much to do with the way actresses today are showing courage and taking up such roles. It’s more about actresses standing up together and saying, ‘Try karne mein kya jaata hai?’ Heroines are trying to break the stereotype today and obviously fail hoga, but that should not stop anyone from trying. So many author-backed films of mine have failed. We all have to go through it. I won’t name the producer but once I was told that, ‘Heroines are replaceable. Kisi ko bhi le lenge’ and that hurt. Today, that has probably stopped because people don’t treat actresses as mere props, doing just the singing and prancing around trees. 

Deepika Padukone
I think all of us — be it me, Vidya, Anushka, Priyanka- are trying to push ourselves beyond the stipulated boundaries. When films like NH10 or Mary Kom work so wonderfully, you know there’s a trend that is shifting with them. But the change is not entirely because of few actors or films. It’s for the industry as a whole. I think it’s the most exciting phase to be in movies right now. Like I have always said, whether they are the scripts that are being written, the kind of risks that directors are taking, the parts that women are being offered, at least for myself, I would say it’s a very exciting time for me and my career. 

Anushka Sharma
There’s definitely a change in the audience’s perception today. People want to watch good films, no matter which big actor stars in it. For example, I am sure if I was not in NH10 and somebody else was, it would have still been loved. But me doing the film has just given it an added audience base. Good films are getting made today and especially for actresses, this is possibly the best phase. When you have directors approaching you for a film and producers trying to put in money for a film that has no superstar, but only a heroine as the main lead, it’s commendable. Moreover, the industry’s outlook towards heroines today has also changed. They don’t feel that it’s only the heroes who can give a hit film. Plus, as an actress, doing a good film, receiving the appreciation and also having the film work commercially at the box office, it’s a liberating feeling. After doing a film like NH10, I feel my approach towards films has also changed and I want to do more such films now.