From Ocean's 8 to Veere Di Wedding, Raazi, 2018's been good year for female-centric films in Bollywood, Hollywood

Watching the eight stunning actresses of Ocean's 8  whooping it up at the extensive promotional events for the much-hyped film, it gave way to a deep pride and a sense of déjà vu. This could be our own Veere Di Wedding  (VDW) girl gang. First, our Veeres are no less glamorous, articulate and self-assured than the Ocean’s 8 girl gang. Secondly, they seem to address exactly the same issues of body-shaming, cat fights and pay parity. Business as usual. But wait. The similarities are even more uncanny. During Veere Di Wedding, Kareena Kapoor Khan became a mother to the youngest superstar of India, Taimur Ali Khan. [caption id=“attachment_4523151” align=“alignleft” width=“825”]  Anne Hathaway and Kareena Kapoor Khan. Facebook[/caption] Anne Hathaway, who plays one of the Veeres in Ocean’s 8, also became a mother during her film’s shooting. She has spoken about how she was body-shamed for her additional weight after motherhood until she reached the sets of her girl gang film where her co-stars came forward to make her feel complete and fulfilled by complimenting her on her glowing looks. Get over cat fights. These Veeres from Bollywood and Hollywood stand by one another. The whole mythology of women actors fighting their way through the shooting falls apart when we see the genuine bonhomie among the female actors of Ocean’s 8 and Ocean’s 4 (VDW). I saw the British actress Cate Blanchett, who plays one of the leads in _Ocean's 8_  , telling one of her interviewers that the whole theory of women not getting along on the sets of a film was started by male journalists. It is meant to be some kind of a male turn-on to imagine female co-stars fighting. Kareena, Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, Swara Bhasker and Shikha Talsania genuinely hit the okay button in their togetherness. And that may come as a surprise to all those who were waiting to see fireworks among the actresses. Says Sonam, “Sorry to disappoint those who think we were slapping and scratching one another’s faces. We really got along like a house on fire.” We really cannot be blamed for thinking that actresses cannot get along when working together. Eons ago, when Sharmila Tagore and Mala Sinha shared the screen space in a 1960s film called Humsaya, there were stories of one actress slapping the other. Decades later, Sharmila was embroiled in another cold war with Raakhee Gulzar on the sets of Yash Chopra’s Daag. The year 2018 is ideal to be a female hero. First came Rani Mukerji in Hichki , breaking all the myths about films that spotlight female heroes, specially those with disabilities. Then came Alia Bhatt as a patriotic spy who creates havoc in her Pakistani in-laws’ home, in Raazi . She has become the first female hero in five years with a Rs 100 crore box office earning. Says trade analyst Atul Mohan, “Raazi was different. A patriotic untold story taken from history. Veere Di Wedding is today’s generation’s take on weddings and commitment. Raazi was patronised by families and Veere Di Wedding appealed predominantly to youth of metros. O_cean’s 8_ will definitely appeal to the audience that made _Veere Di Wedding_ a hit. So yes, this is a good time to be a female hero.”