Cinema! Cinema! Change The Lens On Gender
MUMBAI, 23 April 2015 – Can cultural narratives be employed to change social constructs? That was the topic in question last evening as Asia Society India Centre, in partnership with G5A Foundation for Contemporary Culture and Out of Print Magazine, welcomed Anjum Rajabali, actor and screenwriter; Devika Bhagat, screenwriter; Gitanjali Rao, theatre artist; Nandita Das, actress and director; and moderator Samhita Arni, author and screenwriter.
The evening began with readings of excerpts from the latest issue of Out of Print magazine, the stories of which focus on the theme of gender-based violence. The reading was followed by a panel discussion featuring industry professionals on the intersections of cinema and society, and the various ways in which it influences masculinity, femininity and the relationship between the two. Boiling down to the chicken vs. egg debate, the panelists agreed that as society came before cinema, cinema itself is a reflection of society, but then “in turn it triggers conversations that reflect who we are and create change,” said Nandita Das. Given the commercialization of mainstream cinema, the responsibility to create socially conscious films rests not only on filmmakers but on the audience as well – whose decision to buy certain movie tickets over others determines future trends in cinema.
A majority of mainstream Hindi films idolize emulation of certain prescriptive behavior associated with masculinity which are legitimized by superstar heroes. This hyper-masculinity is reinforced through the overt sexualization of each female character, whether it is the lead actress or the mother, through the lens of the ‘male gaze’. As Anjum Rajabali pointed out, one way in which to gauge the active presence and well-roundedness of female characters in any fictional film was to put it through the Bechdel test, whereby a film is rated if it has at least two female characters who talk to each other about something other than a man. While the majority of Bollywood films today would fail the Bechdel test, the panelists agreed that there is reason to be optimistic for the future of the film industry.
As Devika Bhagat voiced, there is a saturation point and at some point audiences will begin to demand more from their films. Given the recent spate of non-traditional yet economically successful films, studios and financers are now at least willing to open the space to take risks. The audience was left with a warning however that should even a few of these off-the-beaten-path films perform poorly, the studios will be back to films that may not be socially conscious, but at least will succeed at the box office.
Video: Watch the complete programme (1 hr. 48 min.)
Reported by Pinki Thakker, Programme Assistant, Asia Society India Centre
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