Published in The Hindu on
December 17, 2018 and can be read here.
It’s time
to think of unique ways of making Bollywood films more gender sensitive
Soon after the #MeToo revelations began pouring out on social media this year, the organisers of the Jio MAMI Mumbai film festival struck off two features and three shorts after allegations were levelled against key people involved in the making of these films. Festival director Anupama Chopra said that she hoped that the decision would lead to an environment that is “constructive, inclusive and just”. While this is a welcome move, our focus should be not only on those accused of inappropriate behaviour but also on filmmakers who churn out sexist films that influence such behaviour.
Bollywood
films influence negative societal attitudes towards women in India. If we are
to make progress, we must reverse these narratives through better storytelling,
for storytelling influences behaviour. A study by Elizabeth Levy of Harvard
University showed how a reconciliation-themed radio soap opera changed social
norms and behaviour in Rwanda after the 1994 genocide. We also know
storytelling works because multilateral agencies around the world spend
billions of dollars on advertisements and informational campaigns to reach the
public. Yet, in India, we ignore or simply don’t accept the impact of
storytelling on social behaviour. Last year, IBM India conducted a research
study analysing gender stereotypes in 4,000 Bollywood movies released between
1970 and 2017. Among these, the researchers identified only 30 movies where
these stereotypes were broken. While filmmakers are attempting to break this
mould, they are still few and far between.
One way of initiating change could be for the Central Board of Film
Certification (CBFC) to introduce a gender equity certification among the
categories of film certification that we have today. This will empower the
public to make a choice before heading to the theatres. It will signal to the
industry that a gender lens is important and necessary.
Granted, big brother attitudes are dangerous and we need to constantly
push for less state regulation. But given the nature of sexual allegations
against powerful members of the film industry, who can we trust to be
responsible for shaping the narrative around gender stereotypes in India? Are
future generations going to continue living in a world where they are
encouraged to harass and rape women? Will sexist behaviour be tolerated and, if
yes, for how long? Or can we start shaping the narrative around how we view
various genders by being more responsible in how we depict them? The answer is,
we can. It’s time to think of unique ways of making films more gender
sensitive, for this is a medium that has a huge impact on social behaviour as
studies time and again have shown.
Comments
Post a Comment