NEVER FACED GENDER ISSUES IN BOLLYWOOD, SAYS TANUJA

Filmmaker Tanuja Chandra, a Bollywood veteran who recently enjoyed significant success with the romantic comedy, Qarib Qarib Singlle (2017), says that she has never faced gender issues in showbiz.

Asked if it’s difficult for female directors, Chandra says, “It’s not so much the gender as the type of subject a director chooses, which poses a problem most often.

“I’ve never really faced issues because I’m a woman. It’s the unusual subjects I’ve chosen for my films that have had resistance. So if you want to make anything that doesn’t fit into a certain box or label or genre, you will find the road difficult.” Chandra, who made Dushman (1998), Sangharsh (1999), Sur - The Melody of Life (2002), and Zindaggi Rocks (2006), feels that there aren’t enough female directors in India. “The number has grown since when I started out, but only by a small amount. When there are many more women directing films, I truly believe storytelling will get better,” she adds.

PHOTO: PRODIP GUHA/HT Tanuja Chandra is the director of the romcom, Qarib Qarib Singlle