sangeeta

They are a breed apart. Women directors on television, we mean. They have had a later start than their Bollywood peers, but at the pace they are going, seem to be catching up fast.

Television continues to a male dominated world, inspite of the targeted housewife viewer, the female lead protagonists across shows and the proliferation of women producers. A woman director however is a scarce commodity, but over the last few years, she has risen from being the object of curiosity, ridicule and resentment. Today, women like Tamara Nedungadi, Neelima Bajpai and Swapna Waghmare Joshi are the preferred choices of channels and producers when it comes to handling sensitive topics. Swapna for instance has been Balaji's favourite for a long time for its hit soaps, while Leena Yadav graduated to films after a successful run with diverse shows like Say Na Something to Anupam Uncle and the Madhui Dixit anchored Kahin Na Kahin Koi Hai.

Today, these directors are happy with the cards life has dealt them, and whatever apprehensions their families, contemporaries and their own consciences may have had, have been swept away.

I"If your work is good you will be readily accepted though it takes a while to get the acceptance," admits Tamara, who after having done serials like Kittie Party is currently doing Remix. "I have been in the industry for the past 15 years. People tend to be judgmental more about women than men in this industry but I have never come across any gender biases," she affirms. Parvati Balgopalan, who's directed Hubahu and Rules, agrees. "As a woman I can get a better perception of women and deal with their issues better. The disadvantage could be the working hours, especially if you have a family, but today every profession is demanding. I'd say that the film industry is male dominated but television isn't really." Her own family has been supportive, apart from issues like her safety and living alone, adds Parvati.

Parvati Balgopalan - "great reservations about portraying women regressively"

For others like Kanchan Adhikari, married to SAB founder Markand Adhikari, life had a different set of problems. "I was being perceived as only Markand's wife, someone who could not do a good job of direction. I took it up as a challenge. Now no one can doubt my capabilities as a director."

For others like Nandita Mehra, it helped to have a sibling in the media business to gain acceptance. "It does hurt a lot of male egos when they see a female directing shows," she laughs. "I have been in the industry for ten years now and have learnt to handle it all.
My sister is the editor of Cine Blitz, and perhaps that made my journey easier," she reasons.

The directors also insist that a female perspective often helps matters. "I don't try to show feminism in my shows, I remain true to my script," offers Tamara. "I work according to my sensibilities and don't like to show women in a derogatory fashion. But then, I also love to show mushy and cute Chitchor kind of romances on screen....after all, TV's an escape route for people, isn't it?" she laughs.

Parvati says she's made a conscious effort to portray women in a positive light. "My first show Margarita was about a girl and I like to pick up interesting stories related to women for my shows. But I have great reservations about portraying women regressively. Women in the industry are so independent, but sadly their portrayal is so stereotypical," she laments.

Kanchan's eight year long Marathi show on DD Sahyadri, Damini, had a central character who was a no non-sense, soft and subtle and balanced journalist. "I prefer to show my women as strong, sensible and fiery. Viewers accepted her well," she remembers.

Nandita, who's directing Rabba Ishq Na Hove currently, points out, "Today, high drama sells, so people are making these; women are shown as tortured and troubled souls. But then, only if we show women's problems, can we give the solutions and compare the positive with the negative, right?" she questions.

Philosophises Parvati, "There are going to be biases everywhere, it depends on one whether to take it as an advantage or not. I love being a woman.I like to portray women according to the demands of the story and the genre, and portray it correctly. My company Face Entertainment has three of us women, so perhaps Milind (Soman), our partner, gets the short end of the stick!" she laughs.

Nandita Mehra, who's directed shows like Kagaar, Kumkum and Reth, has another take. "I am from Delhi where women are not taken seriously however later, it's the same whether you are a male or a female director. I haven't seen many women directors in my field --- mostly, it is the men who approach me for directorial jobs, I hardly get any women applicants."

A woman director does have an edge though, feels Nandita. "I tend to pay attention to the minute details like clothes or sets which the men might not. For instance- when I was directing a rape scene in Kagaar, I made sure only the bare minimum people required for the shot were present and the rest were sent out. I told the actor that her comfort was more important for me than the scene and that kind of sensitivity is what a woman director can get. I only put mushy scenes if the story requires it....." she adds.

Their numbers are small, but definitely on the rise. With more women coming into the field, television is surely moving in the right direction.