Women directors in Indian cinema have successfully carved a niche for themselves. In Bollywood, there has been little number of directors of the female sex who have actually managed to swim against the tide, follow their dreams and make a name for them in this male-dominated industry. While names like Mira Nair, Deepa Mehta and Gurinder Chaddha have carved a niche for themselves in the West, there are many of our own female folk who have given us some entertaining and meaningful cinema From the inception of cinema women have explored the field of film direction. According to the history of Indian cinema the first female director was Fatima Begum.
Most of Sai Paranjpaye`s films have been appreciated and liked by connoisseurs. But amongst names like Sikander, Dabcherry Milk Project, Jadu Ka Shankh, Begaar, Captain Laxmi, Freedom From Fear, Sparsh, Books That Talk, Angootha Chhaap, Disha, Papeeha, Chooriyan, Saaz and Bhago Bhoot, only Chasme Baddoor and Katha did well at the box-office and were appreciated by the audience.
Ek Pal, Rudaali, Darmiyaan, Daman, Kyun and Chingari are some of Kalpana Lazmi`s notable works. Actor-turned-director Aparna Sen is quite popular in Bengali Movies. 36 Chowringhee Lane, 15 Park Avenue and Mr. and Mrs. Iyer are some of her popular films, apart from Vishwas, Bombay Talkies, Sagina, Iman Dharam, Kotwal Saheb, Paroma and Ek Din Achanak.
There are Tanuja Chandra, Meera Nair, Deepa Mehta, Leena Yadav and Bhavna Talwar, who are yet to taste success in the genre of proper cinema. The only exception has been Farah Khan who debuted with the hit Main Hoon Na. Her second film, Om Shanti Om, featuring Shahrukh Khan and Deepika Padukone did well at the box office. However her last outing with Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif in Tees Maar Khan did not do good business.
Today a host of names appear as one tries to recollect the names of women directors in Indian Movies. While some of them have moved overseas and make films for the international audience, others are still making films in India. However the binding force between these set of women directors is their attachment to Indian tradition.
Women Directors in West India:
Ace women directors like Sai Paranjype, Meghna Gulzar, Tanuja Chandra and several others hail from western India. Their films are women centric but at the same time these do not convey feministic messages. They are mainly social dramas that deal with relationships and the changing face of women in the contemporary Indian Diaspora.
Women Directors in South India:
The women directors down south have dealt with social issues such as AIDS. Their films show women as modern individuals fighting for their survival. Tinged with emotions they reveal the present social conditions and the role and position of women in the society.
Women Directors in East India:
One of the prolific directors from Kolkata, West Bengal is Aparna Sen. The winner of several awards, including the National Award, is known for her bold subjects. But Sen has also made films that deal simply with relations that are in some ways indescribable.
The future of women directors seems bright enough with talented people like Zoya Akhtar, Kiran Rao and Farah Khan setting out to entertain the audience with their well woven scripts
