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The Hindi film industry may be churning out more hits with each passing year but most of them present the actresses in highly unintelligent roles. Bollywood may have seen a lot of flicks create dhoom at the box office this year in their slick, dramatic, romantic or hilarious avatars. But, what apparently is missing in most of these movies is a substantial role for the leading ladies. Model turned actress Reshmi Ghosh feels the Hindi film world needs more women-centric roles. "It is the glamour quotient in a film that works. Unfortunately films like Deadline — Sirf 24 ghante happen only once in a blue moon and yet do not attract much audience. Bollywood really needs to unearth the acting potential of people," she says. In many ways the industry may have come of age but apart from Dor, Corporate or 15 Park Avenue, women are either caught playing dumb characters who have nothing better to do than run around trees or seduce the hero. Actress Amrita Arora has a different opinion when she says, "It's difficult to pinpoint films where women have acted dumb. Moreover, they are only comical roles and even men are portrayed in such funny roles." While most upcoming actresses take to bimbette roles as a step towards greener pastures, even established actresses resort to insignificant roles. Konark Shah, an ardent movie buff says, "Films like Mother India, Mughal-e-Azam, Zubeida and Page 3 did well. But we can hardly expect movies revolving around strong female characters in a generation that prefers a Celina over Konkona. Even directors need to start looking beyond the glamorous images of actresses." But is the industry really facing a dearth of scripts where women have substantial roles to play? According to Victor, scriptwriter of Dhoom and Dhoom 2,"The scripts are worked upon on the basis of market demands and one's willingness to direct and produce a movie." Surprisingly, even women who are otherwise ambitious and intelligent do not mind being props for the male leads. "At the end of the day, they are only characters and don't affect our personal lives," justifies Amrita. Time for a paradigm shift? |
