7 Reasons Why Bollywood Needs Kickass Superwoman Films Like Wonder Woman
The success of Wonder Woman, one of the rare female superhero films ever made in Hollywood, has not only left the people across the world in a state of shock but also the Bollywood film fraternity. The film surpassed several records at the box office including the one for a female director ¨C earning the highest ever US opening weekend for a film helmed by a woman.
But when will India see a woman dressed up in a cape winning over the good and beating up the bad guys? Will Bollywood be ready to make such a kickass film?
Considering the fact that adding Indian-ness to the superhero films made so far didn¡¯t work wonders for the Hindi film industry, will female superhero movies contribute to the change? Will they ever make their way in the industry? Not until the time women in movies are considered physically weaker than men, used as objects to raise the sexy quotient, measured dumb and mindless or treated best as hero¡¯s love interest.
So, is Bollywood ready for a female superhero film? We don¡¯t know if it¡¯s the right time to make a superheroine film or not, but we think, we have innumerable reasons to make such a movie, and here they are:
1. Time to set out a role model for the audience and this time a female one!
When the censor board, on one side, is arguing vigorously over the fact as to films influence people in real life too, and hence, what is portrayed on the big screen shall be filtered for the good, why not give a role model to people through movies, if they are so influential already.
When Wonder Woman released, it inspired kindergarten kids, and the character became their icon. These kids didn¡¯t want to wear their uniform to school, they wanted to wear the armour instead and be ready to fight the world.
So, if films can cast such an impact ¨C let¡¯s have a superwoman film in Bollywood too.
2. Let¡¯s, for a change, show that women aren¡¯t physically weaker than men!
Isn¡¯t it time to show the audience the prowess of the female sex through a superwoman movie? After all, it also speaks of gender equality. Let¡¯s show a woman saving the life of a man, for a change.
3. Let¡¯s get actresses to play substantial roles other than that of the love interest of the male lead!
Tiger Shroff recently made a controversial comment on actresses by, intentionally or unintentionally, saying that they are ¡°padding¡± in the movie. ¡°I don¡¯t get involved with the casting at all. I don¡¯t really care about the padding around me. It¡¯s the script and my character that matter,¡± he said.
So, when even the actors think that their female co-stars are ¡°padding,¡± why not show them the real superpowers they hold, and how they can kick their butts playing solo at the box office too. Remember Neerja?
4. We have had enough of women dancing sultrily in an attempt to raise the sexy quotient. Let us now see there¡¯s A LOT more to them.
Ram Gopal Varma is sending out a message to the audience that -- ¡°Ek aurat ki sabse badi value hai uski sundarta or sex appeal¡± ¨C via his short film for the web whose title is equally ridiculous, Meri Beti Sunny Leone Banna Chahti Hai. And this he passes on to the audience in the name of women empowerment.
If that can happen, a superwoman movie should also happen, certainly ¨C to prove that women need not be objectified.
5. Let's tell the censor board that "lady oriented" films are also films.
For the unversed, Lipstick Under My Burkha, a Prakash Jha production made headlines for the censor board had blatantly denied releasing the film in the country as it was "lady-oriented." Specifying this, the censor board took the definition of bizarre to a whole new level. And yes, it was denied certification for this very reason. It's time to show the CBFC that lady-oriented films are also films, and they need not be banned.
(Also Read: 7 Reasons Why You Must Watch Lipstick Under My Burkha & Contribute To Changing Mindsets)
Her own movie faced the wrath of censor board because they called it ¡°lady-oriented,¡± but has anything stopped director Alankrita Shrivastava from moving towards the right direction? Ask her if it¡¯s the right time to make superwoman movies in Bollywood, and she says, yes, it is.
¡°In a country like India, where there is so much gender discrimination and violence against women, a great female superhero would be fantastic. We need one!¡±
That¡¯s how you turn your weaknesses into strength!
6. Forget pay-disparity. Let's make studios spend a hefty amount on a female superhero film.
Indian cinema is changing but gradually. A lot of women-centric films have been made in the recent past, but have the big banner production houses spent enough money on them? Not really. Almost all the women-centric films were made on a mediocre budget because the producers consider these films as non-bankable.
And even Anubhav Sinha, the director of one of the few superhero films made in India -- Shahrukh Khan starrer Ra.One -- agrees on that.
¡°Most superhero films need to be made by a studio since it requires a huge capital investment. And, studios prefer to bet their money on a film that has a hero."
Yes, that is exactly what is wrong with the society.
7. Let¡¯s just shut people who are talking about what actresses should wear. Let¡¯s give them good content to discuss on, maybe?
We know that a superwoman need not necessarily wear a cape, but at a point when we know that an actress wearing a bikini isn¡¯t liked by many or for that matter even a knee-length dress while meeting the prime minister of the nation is a big deal, we think the whole matter is people don¡¯t have good content to talk about. And so they resort on discussing things like these.
(Also Read: 9 Lessons We Learned From Troll Comments On Priyanka Chopra¡¯s Viral Pic With PM Narendra Modi)
Not that Indian film industry hasn¡¯t made any attempts on improving the way people of the nation perceive the other gender, which is often referred as the weaker one, but the fact that the thought of superwoman film never struck any filmmaker¡¯s mind; or if it did, it was shelved before turning into a project, and that makes a reason enough why we need a female superhero film in Bollywood NOW. Stereotypes need to be shed, and now is the time to do so.
Garima Satija leads the Entertainment vertical of Indiatimes. A storyteller at heart who enjoys the thrill of writing, she is sometimes found daydreaming about living the lives of movie characters. Also, she hates talking about herself in the third person.
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