Women in Indian film industry: Breaking barriers, shattering stereotypes

Mumbai: Reshma Pathan remembers vividly the 1970s when she entered the film industry as a stunt artist, possibly the first woman to do so, and her male colleagues would taunt her saying she was beautiful and no one would marry her if she got hurt.

More than four decades and 500 films later, the intrepid Pathan is among the band of women who make up the backbone of the industry - not just as actors but as directors, editors, lyricists and camerapersons toiling behind the scenes to make the movies happen.

Change is a process and gender biases continue to exist but a lot of ground has been covered, say many of the women, including director Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, film editor Shweta Venkat and lyricist-writer Kausar Munir, as they look back at their years of struggle in what was a predominantly male-dominated industry.

"The producers never said I can’t do stunts because I’m a woman but the men who would act as body doubles would be like, ‘You look beautiful, what if you hurt yourself, then who will marry you?’ Basically, they didn’t want me to work. I would tell them, ‘Don’t worry about me. Why are you trying to belittle a woman?’ They didn’t expect me to answer back, but I did," Pathan told PTI on International Women's Day on Friday.

The 69-year-old who worked as a stunt double for leading actors, including Hema Malini, Waheeda Rehman, Rekha and Sridevi, said there were no women in the stunt department when she joined the industry in the 70s and 80s.

"I had to become a member of the association as a junior artist and then I would get to do stunts, as there was no association of stunt artists," she said, adding that the pay was a meagre Rs 90 per day initially.

Things are different now with more stunt women joining the workforce as film plots change and women are not just portrayed as homemakers and romantic interests but also called upon to do action like their male counterparts.

Over 27,000 women are members of the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), working in various fields, from acting and direction to cinematography and junior artistes, including daily wage workers.

According to Tiwari, who has made women-centric films such as "Nil Battey Sannata", "Bareilly Ki Barfi" and "Panga", the real victory would be when women stop being identified by their gender first and their profession later.

"We should now stop using the word female directors, we should just say a director, who happens to be a male or female, it should be more about the story," Tiwari told PTI.

A lot, she admitted, has changed since she started in advertising before switching to films later.

"There are more women in the industry. There are lots of assistant directors who are behind-the-camera, and that gives a good feeling because at one point of time we literally had to search for women behind-the-camera... We also make sure that we have two or three women working in every department," said the filmmaker, who also runs a production house with husband Nitesh Tiwari.

Munir, known for penning songs for "Anjaana Anjaani", "Ishaqzaade" and "Ek Tha Tiger", agreed.

There is a perception about poetry and music being a man's domain but things can only change when more women join the profession.

"I am a good example... We want more people, we want more numbers. I'm very happy to report that within the industry people do not see me as a woman lyricist. They see me as one of the contemporary people in the top rung of lyricists," she told PTI.

Munir said she would never resort to lyrics like “Main Tandoori Murgi Hoon Yaar” (an item number featuring Kareena Kapoor from “Dabangg 2”).

"I'm going to find a better way of putting it across, so it's also about calibre. I often say ‘Bheedi Jalaile’ or ‘Kajra Re’ are written by a man. Gulzar sahab's standard is different," she added.

Though Iyer, Munir and Pathan discern change, the glass ceiling still exists, stronger than ever.

The needle hasn't moved much in terms of female representation in key HOD positions across streaming and theatrical, said Keerat Grewal, head - business development (streaming, TV and brands) of Ormax Media, a consulting firm.

This is reflected in the company’s annual report on female representation in the Indian entertainment industry with cinema outlet Film Companion.

"There were incremental increases of no more than 3 per cent in editing, cinematography and directing. Production design representation decreased by 1 per cent and writing saw no change between 2021 and 2022," Grewal said.

Venkat, who has edited "Gangs of Wasseypur" and "Newton", said she has been in the profession for close to 25 years and while there are issues related to the profession, gender has become less of an issue.

"The moment a guy walks into the room and sees a woman editor, the dynamics change. It is 'let's see what you bring to the table'. After the initial banter, when they see you are contributing something then the gender goes out of the window. There are silent challenges thrown at you. I played along and I was like, ‘Come to me and let's see what I can do for you’. After a point, nobody bothered about gender issues," she told PTI, recalling her early years in the industry.

Venkat said while it's important that one's skill is not judged by their gender, when a woman is working on sets, there are certain things that become "non-negotiable".

"It's great not to be treated differently. But it's a very complex thing because people should be aware of things like safety and hygiene," said Venkat, adding that her directors never consider her gender a hindrance.

"Laapataa Ladies" screenplay writer Sneha Desai said she never encountered any discrimination in the film industry.

"When it comes to your pricing, it's always the market that is going to dictate that," added Desai.