Streaming services, besides giving avenues to diverse content without the risk of box office, have also become a platform for more women-centric content. Films and web series that would earlier struggle to find distributors for a theatrical release, can now release on the web, creating jobs for women both in front of and behind the camera.
Filmmaker Alankrita Shrivastava, whose web series Bombay Begums releases today, says that making women-oriented films is not easy in Bollywood. Right from shooting to distribution, it is tough to get the appropriate budgets and provisions. “It is the same story for all female filmmakers. If you want to make films with women who are not big stars, it is a problem. Even with big stars — Meghna (Gulzar) made Raazi (with Alia Bhatt) — she had to shoot within limited budget and had to shoot for long hours,” Alankrita told IANS.
The filmmaker adds that this is because women-centric films don’t get distribution. “The budget is justified through the exhibition and distribution system. These distributors feel that these films cannot make that much money,” she says.
Alankrita adds that in the Hindi film industry only male heroes and their films are promoted. “We have geared the industry to be a place where only male heroes are propagated. So much money is put into their marketing, and they are given more films. It is almost like making the audience want them. The audience has not been trained to look out for films of women. One hopes that things will change,” she says.
Raveena Tandon, who is gearing up for the release of her web debut Aranyak on Netflix, says that streaming platforms have given female actors an opportunity to take on more diverse roles and showcase their versatility. The actress said that though the films featuring women in front of the camera or behind the scenes have gained serious critical acclaim over the years, things have only got better for them with the advent of OTT platforms.
“We have seen women take charge in the industry but with a global platform like Netflix coming in, even our audience has become aware. They know of different cinemas, watch international content which give us an opportunity to explore untold stories, different formats and experiment with cinema. Even the way they view an Indian woman, their perspective has changed. Women protagonists have been more prominent than the male ones,” Raveena said.
Veteran actress Shabana Azmi says OTT has ensured films with different kinds of stories can reach the audience. “The way films are made in the Hindi cinema has changed over the years and it has changed for the better. OTT has brought into focus that content is king. And that’s why different kinds of films are being made and different subjects are being tackled. There is no longer a desire to cater to only a handful of films. We have found that every kind of audience exists. It’s the question of reaching out. People keep saying that parallel cinema is dead. I don’t think it’s dead. I think it has rather taken on a different avatar,” she said.
Actress Asha Negi, who shot to fame on television, talks about the satisfaction of working on content for the web space. “You get that creative satisfaction which you normally don’t find on television, although I’m very grateful and thankful for what TV has given me. Having said that, web gives you liberty. If there’s a concept or a story which requires intimacy, you can do that; there are no limitations when it comes to using a language on web. So, it’s a treat for an actor to do a web show,” she said.
Kirti Kulhari, who has been part of women-centric series like Four More Shots Please and Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors, says OTT platforms have created more job opportunities for actresses. She is glad to be part of the industry at a time when more women’s issues are being explored. “It’s been an upward trend for a few years now. I just happen to be at the right time in this industry. For me, messaging is very important. The treatment could be different, but at the end of it, what are you talking about? I take my profession very seriously, so it has to be worth my time. The OTT platforms are bringing in that shift in the industry. I’m very, very happy about being a part of this huge transformation that the industry is going through,” she said.
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