LEADING LADIES

Women claim spotlight in India's macho movie industry

- SEEMA SINHA

India's giant movie industry is known for its macho, men-centric storylines, but a wave of women filmmakers is helping to break the mould.

"More and more women are writing their stories, turning them into films," said writer-director Reema Kagti, who believes the trend brings a more "real and healthy perspective" to movies, with complex, outspoken women characters who are masters of their own story.

The world's most populous nation churns out 1,800 to 2,000 films in more than 20 languages annually and Hindi-language Bollywood is one of the largest segments, with more than 300 productions.

Yet the films have often failed to portray women authentically, choosing instead to box them into being passive housewives or mothers who bow to societal pressure.

A 2023 study by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences found that female characters in most chart-topping Indian films play the role of a romantic interest - and are "fair skinned with a thin body type and a small screen time".

But industry insiders point to a slate of women-directed movies earning international acclaim that have also scored well at the tough domestic box office.

Malayalam-language film All We Imagine As Light, a poetic tale about two nurses forging an intergenerational friendship, was the first Indian production to win the Grand Prix at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.