5 daring female directors redefining Indian cinema to the world – from Zoya Akhtar to Mira Nair
Deepa Mehta, Aparna Sen and Meghna Gulzar sit at the front of a wave of female filmmakers redefining Indian cinema with a fresh perspective – from the gritty realism of Filhaal … to crossover Hollywood period dramas such as Vanity Fair
Over the last few years, conversations about equal pay and opportunity have stirred long overdue debate in Hollywood. While Bollywood still needs to kick it up a notch, the film industry is taking steps towards getting their female talent recognised, particularly if they’re behind the camera rather than in front of it.
Don’t believe us? Here are five of the leading female directors who are redefining Indian cinema.
Deepa Mehta
Mehta, who currently lives in Canada, has been directing films and documentaries on cultural identity and social commentary since 1976.
She has been tagged as a “controversial” director, particularly for her Elements trilogy – subtitled Fire, Earth and Water – with the latter attacked by Hindu extremists, resulting in filming being halted for five years. Mehta nevertheless continues to tackle challenging topics, be it the Delhi gang rape in Anatomy of Violence or post-colonialism in Midnight’s Children.
Aparna Sen
Bengali actor-director Aparna Sen never shies away from sociopolitical topics in her films, such as Mr and Mrs Iyer, Arshinagar and Ghawre Bairey Aaj, critically targeting the tricky issues of fundamentalism and ultranationalism.
Viewed as an early feminist and a political filmmaker, Sen states that her interest lies in the individual psychology rather than her own ideologies. “I certainly am a feminist but, in my cinema, I don’t talk about any ‘isms’. I deal only with individuals; even if an ‘ism’ surfaces, it is not underlined,” she told The Hindu.