‘More women are involved in the movie making process now’
When Sanober Pardiwalla entered Bollywood as a stuntwoman, 20 years ago, there were hardly any women working behind the camera. Fast forward to the present, the scene has changed remarkably. And, Pardiwalla feels that is indication enough of how women are claiming their position, not just on screen, but off it, too.
“When it comes to the industry now, and I am not just talking about the stunt scene, there are many women working in different departments. Earlier on the set, there would be 80% of men, and women would only be seen in the costume department. But that has changed completely,” she says.
She further adds, “Now, women are involved in the whole movie making process, from the light department to art direction. For instance, if you see a couple of sets of (filmmaker) Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s films, many female art directors have worked on them,” add Pardiwalla, who has been stunt double for many actors, including Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Deepika Padukone, Anushka Sharma, Katrina Kaif, Preity G Zinta, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
The stuntwoman, who entered the industry as Urmila Matondker’s double in the 2003 horror film, Bhoot, recalls not spotting any light woman at that point. “It was only a couple of years ago, when I saw a female light expert. I am so glad that I have witnessed this change. In fact, there are days when there are 50% and 50% women on set. I have seen these two eras,” says Pardiwalla.
And this step towards equality comes with a change in the mindset as well. She explains, “Recently, I worked on an ad which was driven by a female art director, giving instructions to around 10 men. So, the mentalities have also opened up, with equal treatment to all. It is upwards and onwards from hereon.”