Women in celluloid

Himalayan News Service

KATHMANDU: Women-centric movies are comparatively less in number but nevertheless films focusing on women have an important role in Indian celluloid. And that is what the film festival ‘Roles of the Indian Film Heroine: The Changing Ethos’ organised by the Indian Cultural Centre (ICC) at Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) is all about.

The five-day festival, which began on April 14, screened 11 women-centric movies of different times.

A seminar was also held as a part of the festival where various panellists from India and Nepal presented their views on various topics related to movies. Besides Indian panellists like director Govind Nihalani and actor-director Nandita Das, journalist Kanak Mani Dixit and Professor Arun Gupto from Nepal also spoke at the event.

The prominence of women in Indian films was also discussed at the event.

“Indian films are embedded in our psyche,” said Gupto.

“Black and white still remains even though colour has changed our life,” shared Hari Sharma another speaker.

The fascinating and complex iconography of women in India which is going through a transformation has been portrayed in these movies. “The movies being screened have already been watched by people yet the festival has been well received by the audience,” said Jagannath Lammichane, the event’s coordinator.

Truly people seemed to love the movies being screened at the festival; audiences were coming out of the hall exhilarated and moved. Taninder Kaur, who came with her family for the screening of Umrao Jaan said, “Rekha is my favourite actress so I came for this movie. The message conveyed by the movie is very meaningful. I also watched Mother India and I am planning to watch Black as well. Women’s role is beautifully depicted in these movies. I think film festivals like this should be organised more often.”

Madhu Lama had also come for the screening of Umrao Jaan. “I had seen the new version of Umrao Jaan but this one is much better. I cried twice during the movie as it was very moving. Women are still mere puppets in the hands of men, nothing has changed,” she shared.

Actor Rajesh Hamal, writer Manjushree Thapa and director Tsering Rhitar Sherpa are the speakers scheduled for April 18.