‘Cinema alone can’t change the society’
Members of the film frat discuss the influence of films on gender norms and how there has been a bias in representation of women in B’wood
As an audio-visual medium, cinema is believed to be one of the most influential tools in a society. The kind of films we watch tends to have a huge impact on how our thinking and ideology take shape as we grow up. And in times when issues like gender equality is something that India is trying hard to achieve, Bollywood as an industry remains quite below the mark in terms of equal representation of women.
According to a 2016 report by Geena Davis Institute on Gender and Media, in India, though many women are seen on screen, they hardly have any significant parts in movies. The report further states that though this is true across the world, Indian films are yearly at the bottom, with only 25% of speaking parts belonging to women. India sees only 9% female directors, 12% female writers and 15% female producers. These are less than global averages.
Many more such startling figures came to the fore on Thursday evening when Oxfam India, an NGO, organised a panel discussion on influence of films on gender norms. Opining on the issue were Avinash Das, director of Anarkali of Aarah, and Alankrita Shrivastava, director of Lipstick Under My Burkha.
“Our society is deeply influenced by what Bollywood portrays. Films that depict female characters as second-class citizens, and amplify masculinity in sterotypical macho ways, make girls more accepting of violence in their lives and boys more likely to inflict it. Recent films that have conveyed strong messages on gender issues, have usually done so through the lens of powerful male characters and actors. to represent the female point of The low representation view in cinema. We must change how women are looked at in cinema,” of women Alankrita said on the occasion. writers, directors and producers On the same page was Avinash in Indian cinema who felt all sorts of narratives are is correlational to important for a balanced society. the absence of such strong He said, “Our society is very resistant characters and women-oriented to ideas of a woman’s sexuality, films,” Oxfam India CEO Nisha menstruation and other issues Agrawal made the opening statement which challenge gender norms. As and discussions went on various filmmakers, we often find it difficult aspects of the umbrella subject. to sell such non-conventional ideas but things are improving. “For too long cinematic storytelling However cinema, alone, cannot has been controlled by men change the society. It has to be and moulded by the male gaze. So, socio-political tools that can bring the representation of women on change and media can mirror the screen has suffered. It is important reality.”
Representation of women on screen has suffered because cinematic storytelling has been controlled by men and moulded by the male gaze — ALANKRITA SHRIVASTAVA