'Audiences are bored of seeing men at the helm’: Aahana Kumra On Women’s Day

Actress Aahana Kumra speaks to Lachmii Deb Roy on how with OTT, we have started telling stories that are about real women who work in diverse professions, don’t just hang around men or run around trees, and don’t need to be rescued by a knight in the shiny armour.  Kumra mentions how OTT has become a gamechanger with more women directors and screen directors in the entertainment industry. She feels that now with women directors there is sensitivity even in depicting intimacy because sex is not just about satin sheets and sensuousness. It could also be about pain, about complex issues and so many things put together.

Excerpts from the interview are below:

 How are women’s stories and narratives changing?

Well, yes, to a large extent because now we see more women on screen and hear more conversations about them. Television in the early 2000s put women in the kitchen and trapped them in kitchen politics. In cinema, we had men stalking women and calling it romance. With OTT, I think, we have started telling stories that are about real women who work in diverse professions, don’t just hang around men or run around trees, and don’t need to be rescued by a knight in the shiny armour.  This has been the best change I have seen in the last few years and it’s very welcome.

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 How women can be vulnerable too and make mistakes?

Women are human too. In cinema, when you tell a man’s story, you show the various shades of his character. He could be vulnerable, weak, bold, fierce, brave and I think the same thing is finally happening now with women-led stories especially in the long format because now her progression need not be crunched down to two hours.  I think now we are seeing so many more dimensions of humanity. We all make mistakes and it’s nice to be able to show that on-screen and I think vulnerability and failure make you relatable and make the audience connect more deeply with your character.   I also relate a lot more to the characters that are not perfect and are dealing with their own mistakes.

How women-oriented stories are taking over?

Women-oriented stories have taken over because audiences are bored of seeing men at the helm. It’s time that men take a little bit of a back seat and let women step into the limelight at the centre of the stage because they have waited in the wings far too long. This conversation has been long pending. Today, while wanting to be entertained, you can switch languages, regions, and nationalities to find what connects with you. You may not intentionally go seeking a woman-led story but chances are that a really interesting show will also have really interesting women in it.  I can see so many platforms and filmmakers making stories about women and there was a time when I was told that women don’t make money at the box office.

I don’t think that’s true because look at what Alia Bhatt has done with Gangubai Kathiawadi. She has conquered the box office and is one of the few actors whose films have made money decisively and also succeeded critically. There is a huge Return on Investment here and it’s interesting to be able to see a woman’s story from different perspectives. I also find the work of many female filmmakers very interesting because when you tell a story from a woman’s point of view, it becomes completely unique. People have had enough of kitchen politics in saas-bahu dramas or seeing women in only revenge stories like Khoon Bhari Maang. Now stories depict nuances of small and big battles that women face every day and also generate ample work for diverse female talent.

 Some recent stories of plays that focus on women’s issues?

Well, Sir Sir Sarla, for sure because it talks about relationships, and revolves around Sarla who longs for days before her marriage when she was immersed in literature, love, and friendship. After marriage, these things have been put on the back burner and her life has completely changed. The question that emerges then is whether marriage changes people or is it the circumstances that they choose to be in.  You can absolutely have a well-balanced life if you have clarity right from the beginning about what you truly want.  A lot of people don’t have the kind of clarity and are not given the space by their spouses or their in-laws to think freely. In India, there are too many people involved in your marriage and playing Sarla was an eye-opener because it changed my perspective towards life, marriage, love, and friendship.  Another play that I am deeply connected to is Dekh Behen because, against the backdrop of a wedding, it also begins to discuss grave issues like consent which are so relatable to so many girls in the audience. These are plays that make you think which perhaps cinema cannot and I’m glad that I’m part of these stories.

[caption id=“attachment_10440371” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A still from Sir Sir Sarla play showing on Zee Theatre[/caption]

How plays of yesteryears and recent plays have changed with the way we look at women today?

I am so lucky that among the theatre groups that I started with, Motley familiarised me with Ismat Chughtai’s works and I realised how progressive writers even in the 30s and 40s were. The first play that I ever watched on stage was ‘Lihaaf’ which was about two gay women, and still is the most progressive story I have heard in my entire life. Reading stories like Manto’s Kaali Salwar opened my mind and I have been lucky to be a part of very progressive theatre, be it Sir Sir Sarla which is showing on Zee Theatr_e_, Rebecca, All about Women, Dekh Behen or Arms and the Man. These plays have had such great central women characters and initiated such important conversations about women. These stories will always remain with me because they do not shy away from taboos and don’t sweep issues under the carpet. Theatre has spoken about everything that cinema hasn’t.

Has the OTT brought about a lot of change from the way we look at the content giving women an important place in their narratives?

Of course, it has. Why should we shy away from saying it? Now, we have a great new way of looking at women’s stories. Somebody had to do it. Weren’t we already bored of seeing saas-bahu dramas, boring romantic or action films celebrating the male gaze, their six-packs and their magically disappearing shirts? I think the time was ripe for change and I am so glad it has finally arrived.

How OTT has become a game-changer now as we have more women directors and screenwriters?

Yes, earlier it was very difficult for women directors and screenwriters to get a job in cinema because it was all about box office returns and star power.  Today, we don’t need a star to tell a story and have talents like Pratik Gandhi, Jaideep Ahlawat, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and a story does not need to be driven by men or women. It just has to be a great story.  We have so many more female directors and screenwriters, and I am working with so many of them. They really change the way you look at certain issues, characters, and narratives.

There is sensitivity even in depicting intimacy because sex is not just about satin sheets and sensuousness. It could also be about pain, about complex issues and so many things put together. In ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’, sex became a very integral conversation and not only from the perspective of pleasure.  I think when a man makes a film about desire, it’s like ‘Jism’, but when a woman directs a similar theme, it is like, ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’. The gaze changes. Be it Alankrita Shrivastava or Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, they are undeniably breaking new ground.

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