Turning the arch lights on women

A groundbreaking gender initiative that seeks to give women a foothold in the lighting department

Richa Chadha and director Suchi Talati have collaborated on a gender equality initiative in the film industry, launching

The Undercurrent Film Lab to train women in cinema lighting. Trainees will have the opportunity to join their ship’s female crew of Girls will be Girls, which will go on the floors in October. Excerpts from Richa’s interview about

the venture:

Q

We envisioned a female-led crew for our upcoming film Girls Will Be Girls during preproduction, but when we went looking for female gaffers and lighting technicians, we couldn’t find any. In the industry, there are only lighting and cameramen. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to find women in these fields. That’s when we decided to create this training programme, because these departments are still inaccessible to women

without it.

How did you get the idea to teach women about cinema lighting? Q Could you tell us more about the programme?

We want to train women in lighting and place them in large production houses.

QIt’s a novel concept. How successful do you think it will be?

If we can think of it, why can’t the bigwigs? I hope that major production houses will pave the way for women to work in lighting. And I hope that the girls we are training will have equal access to opportunities.

Q

Director Kabir Khan and Mini Mathur have already verbally committed to hiring the trained women. I would like to contact Zoya Akhtar, Rema Kagti, Rohit Shetty too. We can ask other large production houses like Excel and Dharma.

Who are the big production houses you like to reach out to? Q Will women in the lighting department be respected?

Light men and spot department personnel are the first to arrive on set and the last to leave. This is a 16-hour shift. Women will automatically gain respect if they join this department.

Q How will you bring a change in this department?

Filmmakers will be able to shoot sensitive scenes more easily if there are more women in the lighting department. Ten years ago, I only knew one female hairstylist who had to drape our sarees and attach our microphones. She and the female actor were the only two women on set. We’re working hard to change that. There were fewer female DoPs five years ago, but the numbers are slowly increasing, and more women are working.