Women Written by Women

Movies always feel special when they are written or directed by women. Most of the time, in Indian cinema, women characters appear as eye candy without much depth and screen space to even perform their roles. And in some scenarios, they are not even needed by the script. So, including some dumb character for the sake of it could just ruin the movie altogether. These kinds of tropes can be seen in movies written or directed by men (We all have seen a fair share of them). Their perspective of normal women is totally different from those in the eyes of female writers or directors, for they have lived the life of a woman.

They are breaking stereotypes, one brilliant script at a time. From bringing fresh narratives to the screen to showcasing relatable male characters, these incredible women are a breath of fresh air. Or rather a wind of change.

Here are some examples of movies written by female scriptwriters that are whole new ball game.

Realistic depiction of love

The hero doesn’t always have to save the day for women to fall in love with them. Or there is no need to follow her everywhere she goes and confess his love all the time to get her attention. Come on, it’s called stalking right? Then how can it be considered normal when we see our favorite hero do that? Total Nonsense!

But in the case of movies like Manmarziyaan, and Bangalore Days, (written by Kanika Dhillon and Anjali Menon respectively) we could see a realistic portrayal of love where some stories have a happy ending while others don’t. And how it takes time for someone to heal from their fucked up past. Most importantly the female lead never needs any kind of saving from others she has her own journey which she is more than capable to fight for.

The eccentric family trope

Whenever we see Indian families depicted in movies, they are always shown in a grandeur scale with dada, dadi, nana, nani, and a whole bunch of uncles, aunts, and cousins who are very much interested in the male lead’s love life in particular. In the case of a nuclear family, the son and father either have a love-hate relationship or just best friends. But what about the majority of women who are the working class? What about a woman who still has the fire in her to learn new things even in her 30s and 40s?

In Juhi Chaturvedi’s Piku we could see a typical Indian family setup minus any over-the-top idealistic relationships where the female lead is torn between tenderness for her elderly dad and frustration at being stuck in a rut, which sure many with elderly parents could identify with. Even with English Vinglish, we get to see a belittled and insecure Indian housewife of the upper middle class who rediscovers her own self-worth. These characters strike a chord from the beginning till the very end.

Women opening-up

Many a time we don’t get to see women dealing with their problems or even being vocal about them.  It’s always about the leading male and his problems. What about a confused woman in her 20s with a troubled past, desires, and unrequited love? It’s very rare to see such vulnerable women characters with actual problems who take a stance to face their reality through travel or therapy. In movies like Dear Zindagi written by Gauri Shinde, we get to see a smart professional but also a scared, young girl with emotional turmoil who seeks professional help by breaking the stigma around mental health which has become a major problem with many in this current generation.

The list doesn’t end here. There are not a lot of relatable women characters in Indian cinema that majority of the of us could resonate with. Why can’t a successful woman be feminine? Can’t women be as patriotic as men? Why does heartbreak always end up with only men partying for masala songs? Don’t women go through any hardships after a breakup? In a country with nearly 700 million females, how could there be only a notable amount of female lead films or characters that are well-written and original?

Even though there has been a shift in the Film Industry for the past decade or so, there are and will be more awesome female story writers and scriptwriters who’re the reason we still go to the movies.

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