Women in front of Cinema
An International Women’s Day 2021 featurette.
The art belongs as much to the eyes of the beholder as the artist. Visual art, in particular, can make us cry, laugh, think, awe and change. This is powerful, I have used this statement multiple times in articles I wrote. I believe in this wholeheartedly. Visual media in the form of the motion picture has the stimulant to procreate change, and I stand by my statement with conviction.
If you still have not checked out our previous blog posts about Women in Cinema, Women behind Cinema we have a treat in store for you here.
The audience who are in the receiving end is a radical bunch, the women.
Stereotyping and typecasting the characters on screen often have a grey effect on the minority faction of the society. With most of them usually having to work from home, they turn to the cinema for relaxation. When the cinema is not promising and a mere fluff it is failing its own premise. With more power, comes more responsibility. Consequently, the makers must keep this always in a tab before trying to project their thoughts. Raising the right questions organically can definitely propel people in the right direction. “The Girl in River” documentary helped change honor killing laws in Pakistan. There need not be explicit social preach.
Subliminal persisting undercurrent can also break the shackles. Imagine a film where the masculine gender and feminine gender are treated equally in terms of work-life balance. This need not be obvious. It can be as simple as having the working man make coffee for his wife who has just returned home from work. Subtle, yet charging right?
According to a study in the year 2018 from the West, women made up 51% of moviegoers of the total.
Imagine, if you can change at least 10% of them, the impact will be massive. It will be a wild butterfly effect. However, often we do not see the creators asking the right questions or going against the norm. Women are often present in the script as eye or arm candies. The creators could be worried about the spectrum of reactions from the audience. There are multiple instances of the same in the Indian movie diaspora — the outstanding one being Padmaavat. We all know the story. The shocking portion of it being a movie with a strong woman character was bashed for the character’s strength. Some of the people, including the vulnerable internalize wrong ideas including misogyny, submission, suffering, and sacrifice. Viewers, can get into the belief that their worth is only limited to their looks, and as a subordinate or submission to the man. The majoritarian’ s ego is established strongly. They can go forward to mistreat people under the guide of higher birth status. Absurd, yeah? It is saddening to note that it is happening.
There are a lot of movies that have created change, about which you can read them here. I feel there is a single thread of commonality between them.
They usually portray the abuse and suffering of the minorities.
They have gone on to create history. We need movies of such kind in our country too. These movies have shown us that upright blatant preach will not work. They will stir disturbance. A strong plot that tugs the right heartstrings can create wonders. The movie need not be over the top. It needs to be truthful to its execution. The mission is the by-product and not its soul. This will create organic internal long-lasting changes in human beings, without their notice. In the long run, the herd mentality which runs in our veins will catch up. The entire place will become conducive to change and its effect.
I find many creators vying for some amount of negative publicity to increase the buzz for their movies. When we actually go on to watch it, it is the same run of the mill. We need original content. The maximum sector of the audience is the women. Wake up! This is your chance to put your thoughts on screen without the fear of backlash from the men.
The women are there to watch your movies if the content is the queen.
This is a series commemorating Women’s History Month and the International Women’s Day that falls on the 8th of March every year. Stay tuned for more interesting takes here!
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About the Author: Vijayalakshmi Swaminathan a.k.a Viji Swami is a bored engineer who can be found living on Twitter nowadays. You can reach out to her here, or here.
