It's Showtime, Girls!

Be it the superheroine blockbuster Wonder Woman or the all-female stars of this summer’s most-anticipated release, Ocean’s 8, the woman-led cast seems to be having its moment, finds Deepanjana Pal

- Deepanjana Pal

When Wonder Woman makes her entrance in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Superman asks Batman, “Is she with you?” Batman replies, “I thought she was with you.” Wonder Woman doesn’t say anything. She’s in warrior pose; all shield and sword and strength, her attention on the monsters that need slaying. In that moment, she is every woman who has walked into any film industry, anywhere in the world—despite the gaze and concerted efforts to reduce her to a pretty accessory, she’s focused on her job.

A year later, Wonder Woman became the first full-length, woman-fronted and -directed superhero feature to be released by Hollywood. Earning US$821.74 million, it became the highest-grossing superhero film (Black Panther, whose posse of amazing women supporting the superhero stole headlines, would push it to second place in 2018). All those who insisted women-led star casts couldn’t heat up the box office were proved wrong— Wonder Woman truly slayed a monster.

Other bigger monsters also found their time was up in 2017. It was the year women spoke up against sexual harassment—producer Harvey Weinstein, actor Kevin Spacey, comedian Louis CK and others. The abusers fell—all of them men. Note that till date there have been no allegations against a woman director, producer or a star.

IT’S COMPLICATED