WOMEN SHOULD BE CENTRAL TO THE PLOT OF A FILM: TANNISHTHA
Says actor-director Tannishtha Chatterjee; adds that she wouldn’t like to play “second fiddle” to men
With films like Parched (2015), Angry Indian Goddesses (2015) and Lihaaf to her credit, actor-director Tannishtha Chatterjee has carved a niche for herself. She says that though she’s fascinated with playing the quintessential Hindi film heroine, there aren’t enough meaty roles for women in mainstream Hindi films. “I love Alia (Bhatt) and Vidya (Balan)’s work. They’ve done such meaningful roles. Those are the parts that I want to play. But what would I do in a regular Bollywood film where the woman really doesn’t have anything to do?” she asks.
However, she says that there has been a paradigm shift in the world of Hindi cinema over the past few years. “Things are changing now. I’m a trained actor, and I always wanted to do things where I could contribute. There are many actors today who’ve had the opportunities to play fabulous parts in mainstream films as well. Padmaavat (2018) is Deepika’s (Padukone) film. I look forward to stories where women are given roles that are central to the plot and they aren’t second fiddle to the male protagonist,” says the Brick Lane (2007) actor.
What makes Tannishtha happy is “a major gender evolution” that is taking place in our society which is being reflected in the film industry. She elaborates, “Within the film industry, there are a lot of women directors and writers who are coming up and are able to break free and express themselves. The perspective in the way stories are told is different when it’s told by women. For centuries, we’ve appreciated art, storytelling, poetry and music from a male’s point of view. Women performers, writers, painters and creators have been schooled in the male perspective.”
This is why the Gulaab Gang (2014) actor has decided to take the director’s baton in her hands and has helmed a “feminist film” like Roam Rome Mein. She says, “The film, much like art, came out of my personal expression. A story like this isn’t the need of the hour; it has been the need of many centuries. If I go to an art or a film school, I’ll study by the rule book that’s set by great male artistes over centuries. With Roam Rome Mein, I’ve tried to do break the rules set by patriarchy.”