Meet the new women directors of B-town

In a male-dominated industry, it's the women who're telling the real stories. They have the critics' approval, the audience's applause and most importantly the producers' backing. The time when women filmmakers found it difficult to prove their worth behind the camera has past. Farah Khan, Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti, Kiran Rao and Anusha Rizvi have dared to break stereotypes vis--vis making the kind of cinema they believe in. And in that little bubble of hope, three more women directors have come to the fore. This is their story...
Sonam Nair (Gippi), Ashima Chibbar (Mere Dad Ki Maruti - MDKM) and Nupur Asthana (Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge - MFK) are three daring directors who made small films with a strong beating heart. Their stories are real and relevant to today's day and age. Be it Gippi, which reflected the life of a 13-year-old overweight girl who struggles to fit into her surroundings or MDKM, which was a laugh riot set in the heart of Chandigarh and even MFK, which spoke volumes about the dominance of social media in our lives today. Backed by powerhouse production houses (Dharma Productions and Yash Raj Films), these directors gave flight to their restless dreams and rest, as they say, is history.

The moment of truth
It was in the 9th grade when Sonam's teacher asked her what she wanted to do with her life. "I want to make films," pat came the reply. Sonam says she hadn't even voiced that idea to herself until then. It was one of those moments of epiphanies. When she conveyed the idea to her parents, they were taken aback. She recalls, "I had told them I wanted to be a heroine or a fashion designer so the idea of me wanting to be a director took them by surprise."
Ashima too considers herself a drifter. She had the much-required passion for cinema but wasn't too confident about donning the director's hat. But while working as an assitant director on Chak De! India, she knew she wanted to make films. "I wasn't sure if I could leave everything aside in my life to be a director because that's a pre-requisite. Whether it's your family or your relationships, everything has to be put on hold," she shares.
Hailing from a theatre background, where she directed plays, Nupur's dreams were getting bigger by the day. After dabbling with elevision, where she directed the famous teen show Hip Hip Hurray, she decided to aim at a much larger scale and make films.

First things first
First films are always special. Filmmakers tend to put in all that they've got into their first attempt. Sonam claims Gippi's story is almost the story of her life. "From the age of 11 to 19, I was really fat. It was the bane of my existence. There was no love, mystery or horror; just a really fat girl," she laughs. Sonam adds that she tried to write the usual love story or a road trip but it all seemed fake to her. Hence she went ahead and put her life on the paper. "There are dramatic elements in Gippi but other than that the movie is mostly based on my life. I just didn't know what else to write."
Ashima and Nupur on the other hand aren't writer-directors like Sonam. Their respective films have been written by someone else. Ashima, who is a Punjabi herself, was well-versed with the Chandigarh lifestyle. So, when the script of MDKM fell in her lap, she had no reason to reject the offer. She says, "People in Chandigarh live a European lifestyle. They live a lavish life. I thought I could easily execute the MDKM script because I love characters that are quirky, loud and boisterous."
Nupur believes it doesn't make a big difference if you direct a film, which you haven't written. She says the most important thing is to make sure there is some kind of truth in anything you work on. "If you're making a horror film, doesn't mean you've been through all those things in your life," says Nupur who loves to decode human behaviour based on her own experiences.

Working in a male-dominated setup
Back when Ashima was a young AD, apart from the heroine, the hair-dresser and her, there weren't any other women on set. "I used to sport short hair, wear a loose t-shirt and shoes almost trying to hide the fact that I was a woman," she recalls. "Today I can have long hair; I can go in shorts on the set. People still respect you. It's nothing like a girl is directing the film."
Sonam exclaims that she was conscious about this issue before she even started work on her film.
''I knew that people would think how can an inexperienced young girl like me in a dress direct a film? So when we were hiring a crew for the film, I kept asking myself: 'Will they listen to me or will they prove to be obstacles?'"

The next step
While Sonam and Ashima are still contemplating on their next, Nupur has almost completed her second film with Ayushmann Khurrana and Sonam Kapoor in lead roles. The film is produced by YRF. In the future though she'd like to make an expansive love story or an out-and-out action film. "I want to challenge myself with every film. I love drama and exploring people's psyche in a fun way," says she. Sonam has a couple of ideas in her kitty, although she'd like to stick to making sweet and fuzzy kind of films. "I laugh at anything and everything. I'd like to make films which make people smile. I'll pitch my ideas to Karan Johar. Let's see what he wants me to go ahead with," she states. Ashima is more than happy being in the comedy space. Says she, "I'd like to make a crime comedy like Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro."
More power to them!