National Award-winning filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar discussed the persistent challenges of women-centric cinema during his appearance at Cine Talkies 2024 in Mumbai. He spoke candidly about the struggles female-led films continue to face, sharing his experiences with Chandni Bar and offering his thoughts on gender disparities in Bollywood.
Madhur Bhandarkar highlighted the industry’s reluctance to back women-centric projects, recalling his battle with producers when making Chandni Bar, a film that marked a turning point in his career. Despite the film’s serious subject matter, producers insisted that he add six item songs to make it more commercially viable. Bhandarkar, however, resisted this request, citing how difficult it was to get support for female-led stories.
Discussing the larger issue of gender and pay disparity, Bhandarkar noted that even stars like Tabu, Kareena Kapoor, and Priyanka Chopra had to lower their fees to accommodate his budget constraints. “I remember Kareena, Tabu, Priyanka cutting their fees to do my films,” he shared. He emphasized that both male and female actors should consider reducing their fees for women-centric films to make them more viable.
Despite these struggles, Bhandarkar remains hopeful about the future of women-centric films. He cited the success of Laapataa Ladies, which gained international attention, and mentioned how Chandni Bar managed to secure nominations at major awards despite competing with blockbusters like Gadar and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.
However, he lamented that the issue of gender and pay disparity remains unresolved. “Even today, if I go with a subject, they will offer a Rs 20-22 crore budget for a women-centric story, but a male-led version gets a budget of Rs 50-60 crores,” he said. Bhandarkar also shared that male actors were reluctant to join women-centric projects due to the focus on female leads. He noted the shift in the industry, where actors now insist on knowing how many scenes they will have and seek roles in solo hero films.
On a final note, Bhandarkar clarified that he does not consider himself the “flag bearer” of women-centric cinema. He acknowledged the contributions of filmmakers like Bimal Roy, Guru Dutt, and Raj Kapoor, who made similar films in earlier decades. He also pointed out that, even today, the percentage of women-centric films is still relatively low due to industry mindsets that prioritize male heroes over female leads.
Bhandarkar concluded, “Actresses should get as big an opening at the box office as the heroes; they will be paid well then. Today actresses are scared that if they do a female-led film and it doesn’t work, it will affect their image.”
This news report is curated with insights from multiple reliable news sources.