Why are successful actresses like Anushka and Deepika making films?
The Hindi film industry has changed a lot as compared to the past. Just as the demand of the audience is changing, similarly the process of film making is also changing.
The male dominated Hindi film industry is now leaning towards gender equality in films. Actors like Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgan, Ranbir Kapoor have come forward in film production by turning to film production. But now the actresses are not far behind.
Anushka Sharma, who made a place in the film industry with her acting, has opened a production house named ‘Clean Slate Films’ along with brother Karnesh Sharma. Under this, he has made films like NH10, Pari, Phillauri and Bulbul.
Priyanka Chopra, who became an international star, opened a production house called ‘Purple Pebbles Pictures’ and produced several Hindi and regional films, including the Marathi film Ventilator, the Nepali film Pahuna and the film White Tiger, which released on OTT earlier in the year.
Deepika Padukone, who has made her acting debut, stepped into film production with “Ka Production” and made the film Chhapak.
At the same time, actresses Alia Bhatt, Taapsee Pannu, Kangana Ranaut, Kareena Kapoor have also announced to become their producers.
Historian SMM Ausja, who has seen this trend from a positive perspective, says that now actresses are also equating actors. Although the trend of participation in film production was started by the actors but it is a very positive step.
- The reason for the trend?
Film business expert Atul Mohan says, “Today’s generation of actors is very smart. She constantly thinks about the future, how money can be made. How can he be safe as an artist?
He says, “Earlier films used to be released only in theaters and only Doordarshan used to be there. But a lot has changed in the last 10 years. The figures for the earnings of films have increased. 100 crores – 300 crores .
Satellite is getting money, digital is getting money, audio is getting money, overseas film business is getting money. There are so many ways through which money can be earned. Along with this IPR (Intellectual Property Rights). It is becoming a big way to earn money in future.
Atul Mohan further says that ‘the way Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan made the film together with big directors like Yash Chopra. When the same Bachchan sahib came on top, he started taking distribution which includes films like Amar Akbar Anthony, Naseeb. At the same time, his next generation Shahrukh Khan opened a film studio. Seeing the actors, the actresses also realized that there is money in film production. If they demand then they should participate in film production.
- Advantage and studio support
Today’s actresses are not only a part of the stories around the hero but also appear in important roles in the films. At the same time, in many such stories, actresses have proved their mettle for their acting. Be it Anushka Sharma’s film NH 10 or Deepika Padukone’s Chhapaak.
Atul Mohan further says, “Nowadays films are being made on many unique subjects depicting acting. There are many such stories which the producers are not able to get and if a big hero or heroine decides to make a film on such a story then they get the support of big studios like Eros gave to Anushka Sharma’s films and Fox Studio India. Deepika’s film.
A film studio assists in every department of film production, from production to marketing and release.
He says, “She has a desire to make her own kind of cinema. The kind of roles that are hypnotized but she can’t get them, then as a producer she chooses those subjects. Due to which her IPR is secured for life. It becomes their asset which can be monetized every five or seven years and run on different platforms.”
However, he clarified that becoming a producer of the star does not reduce the cost of the film as the star maintains his market rate even in his own film. At the same time, the stars also decide how much their fee will be if the film is released in theaters, while if released directly on OTT, then their fee will be more than the theater release fee.
- Trend is not new
In the early phase of the Hindi film industry, there were many such strong actresses who took every command of film production. Historian Amrit Gangar has thrown light on such powerful actresses.
Fatima Begum started her career with Urdu Manch. After that, he made his acting debut in films with Ardeshir Irani’s ‘Veer Abhimanyu’. Later Ardeshir Irani formed the Imperial Film Company, which produced India’s first sound film ‘Alam Ara’ in 1931.
Fatima Begum’s daughters Zubeida, Sultana and Shahzadi acted in Alam Ara.
In 1926, Fatima Begum opened her own production house named Fatma Films and in 1928 established Victoria – Fatima Films. Fatima Begum was a multi-talented woman who acted in films from major studios such as Kohinoor and Imperial Studios, as well as produced films from her own productions, acting as well as scriptwriting and directing.
He continued acting in the 1930s. She was seen working with the great directors of Hindi cinema Nanubhai Vakil and Homi Master.
Zubeida was the star of India’s first sound film Alam Ara in 1931.
Actress Zubeida along with director Nanubhai Vakil founded Mahalaxmi Cinetone Company in 1934. He left the film world by the end of the 1930s.
In his film career, he developed an image with a traditional dimension in several of Naval Gandhi’s social films, including the film Sacrifice, based on Rabindranath Tagore’s iconic play.
Jaddanbai was a versatile genius of 1930s Hindi cinema. Jaddanbai was born in 1892 in Allahabad and died in Mumbai in 1949. In 1932 she joined Playart Photo Tone Studio in Lahore and four years later in 1936 she founded a company called Sangeet Films.
From 1933 to 1935, he acted in several films as well as sang songs, including Insan Ya Shaitan, Raja Gopichand, Sewa Sadan, Talaash-e-Haq, Exam and Nachwali.
He sang in Hindi and Punjabi films. She was also the composer of two films. He also wrote the script for the 1948 film Anjuman. Versatile, talented Jaddanbai Hussain made her mark as a singer, musician, dancer, actress, director and producer.
She was the mother of famous actress Nargis. According to Amrit Gangar, it is difficult to find such an influential personality in today’s actresses.
Kanan Devi was another influential woman in Indian cinema. He contributed to Hindi and Bengali cinema. Kanan Devi, who made her acting debut in the Silent Era, started filmmaking in 1949 with Mrs Pictures. He launched the Savyasachi Collective from the film Ananya.
He produced around 11 films. She was also a singer in many of her famous films. The films Saathi, Street, Singer, made in 1938 with K L Sehgal, Lagaan and Parichay in 1941 were such films.
- Women makers and stories of the bygone era
On this subject Amrit Gangar comments, “When a woman writes, writes, directs or produces a film on a subject, her point of view is bound to come into it, but personally I feel that the 1930s And today’s era is quite different from that of the 1940s. Today’s Bollywood appears to be very feudal and gender-differentiated, as well as communal mentality, compared to the Hindi film studios of that era. Otherwise, Fatima Begum, Zubeida and Women like Jaddanbai don’t emerge.
He adds, “Those actresses tried their hand in every subject which included social, historical, adventure, rebel, juggling and thriller films. If it was not for this, then the fearless Nadia of that era would not have been made.”
The murder of mother Kali was condemned in the film ‘Balidan’ made at that time in which Zubeida acted.
- Changes after 1960
In the early phase of Hindi cinema, many actresses became producers and kept expressing their opinion on many subjects. But their numbers declined over time. Historian Amrit Gangar explains the growing patriarchy in the society as the reason.
“After 1960, patriarchy and conservatism increased in the society, as well as the fear of breaking religious, social and family traditions.”
He goes on to say, “Personally I believe that for the multifaceted talents of women to emerge in the film industry, it is very important to have an environment with a liberal, secular, non-anarchist, non-racist and non-linguistic outlook. Imagine this. , Fatima Begum was from a royal family near Surat in Gujarat who married the Nawab. She had three actress daughters princesses. Her men would have been less chaotic and influential, we can guess.”
The actresses of Hindi cinema of the twenty-first century have become a part of films with many such subjects with the changing times, which have stirred a dialogue in the society and have also earned money by dragging the audience to the cinema hall.
Historian SMM Ausja believes that the active production of top actresses who are carrying the burden of box office on their shoulders, the audience will get to see many unique new stories.
About Author
