Madhuri Dixit and Gungate Monga | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

At the ongoing IIFA Awards in Jaipur, veteran actor Madhuri Dixit and Oscar winning producer Gundet Monga sat for a free wheel chat about the development of women in Indian cinema. In addition to sharing their personal stories, how to top the male-dominated industry, personalities also shared their views on subjects such as gender inequality, salary interval and more.

Define change in the world of cinema

Madhuri Dixit: There used to be a time when I was the only women in a set, my co-actor and hairdresser. Other departments had no women and we had very few female directors; Sai Paranjpye is the only name I knew back. When I came back, it was charming to see women in all departments.

Cinema’s personal influence

Madhuri Dixit: I are often asked how my life was before marriage but I was doing many changes then. I started living my life after getting married and having children. I have a wonderful partner and we share many things other than cinema. All life experiences make you a better actor and I felt when I came back.

Initial challenges

Gungate Monga: I come from a very humble Delhi family and we used to live in a house rented at Rs 5000 per month in Faridabad. I just moved to Mumbai to become a producer. The idea was to fall in love with stories, find money and actors, make films, release it, distribute it and take it into the world. I’m glad I was able to do it with films Gangs of Waspur, The Lunchbox, Masan, Pagglat, Kathal And recently Strike,

Something that I definitely faced, was age and age. As a 21 -year -old, I had trouble finding those who would fund my films. Being a woman, there was never anything that I felt that there was a problem. Thanks to the years later and for the #MeToo movement, I learned conditions like gaslighting. Discrimination is not my problem, it is someone else’s problem that they do not want to talk to me. I just wanted to work. I remember when I was 26 years old, I had to color my hair in white and wear saree and glasses.

Plight of independent cinema

Gungate Monga: Nobody cares about independent; Due to lack of access, we do not know our limits. What we believe is in the power to ask. With Indie, you do not care about business rules. Space gave me the opportunity to work with incredible actors, great crew and directors for the first time. Commercial cinema is bonded with its rules and feels liberated by Indie films. Anora Winning at the Oscars is a celebration of independent cinema. This is the era of such cinema.

Madhuri Dixit and Gungate Monga | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

To get more women to take this profession

Gungate Monga: We live in an eco chamber filled with great work partners, aware and developed men. There is a world that is not strong that we need to hold and attach hands. It is Pagglat, Kathal or even Sorarai PotruMany films are female-linked and these films have amazing female characters; Even like a testosterone-ivory film Strike Did.

Statistics tell us that less than three percent of the filmmakers are female directors and among the crew members, the number is about nine percent. When the film’s budget is low, they choose to option women cinematographers. The craft is similar and it develops with more opportunities. I think we are all born in patriarchy and we are learning feminism every day. It has not been officially announced yet, but we are producing women in the film India which is funded by women in Gates Foundation and Film La to establish space and skill development plans. We need to double more women’s hods and with more women’s approaches -it should also be known how women are shown on screen because it defines pop culture. Women should not just have the path to pave the way.

From pioneers to next-jewelery

Madhuri Dixit: In a way, we also made way for them and I need to push the envelopes on the kind of roles I choose. When i did films like movies Pukkar (2000) or Death penalty (1997), people were against its views because I was a commercial actor. I felt that if I did not try different roles and had strong female characters, perhaps no one else would get inspiration to do so. If I am successful, I can pave the way for other women demanding non -vegetarian roles.

Gungate Monga: I think we have to believe that we are not contestants, but partners. The way we talk about each other in the rooms, we are not there who we are. So convince each other!

Please keep the pay gap in mind

Madhuri Dixit: Women are made to prove that we can attract audiences every time. But there is still a inequality. It comes down every time to push the envelope a bit and it is like the child’s footsteps. We still have a long way to go and we have to work on that side every day.

Gungate Monga: Barbie Last year and Stri 2 It was proved that there is every possibility of breaking the box office.

Madhuri Dixit: When i did King (1995), people said it should have been called Queen And when i did Beta (1992) He said that it should have been DaughterBut they are all only words. This is the question when this really happens. This happened once in my career, but if it is a regular thing then there is a different question.

Gungate Monga: It comes down to more and take more opportunities. Clearly there is a salary difference. Stri 2 There is such a big hit and there is so much power in doing something similar. If we have such examples in the last few years, I believe it will become an ideal.