Cine talkies 2024 Session Role of Women in Development of Cinema & cinema brought some interesting insights on Women in the film Industry. 

The session included eminent Panelists Director Madhur Bhandarkar, Pankaja Thakur Former CEO, CBFC and Actress Pranitha Subhash. The session was 

Moderated by Journalist Ramchandran Srinivasan.

Madhur Bhandarkar making his point said, " Lot of women centric film have been made since many years. But there came a time when masala films or male centric films had taken over. It was Chandni Bar that broke the mold of women centric films as it came into mainstream."

He added," Women Directors like Gurmeet Chadha, Payal Kapadia and Kiran Rao have definitely created a huge impact on Indian cinema not only in India, but globally with brilliant movies and very good work. Earlier we had very few women directors like Aparna sen and Farah Khan. Now there is a change in the dynamix as more women directors are coming ahead and even people want to work with them and back them, that is very heartening to see."

He adds," The time I made Chandni Bar, I went to so many people who did not want to produce a women centric film. Even I was asked by the producers to convert 'Bubbly Bouncer' into a male centric film and then they also agreed to even increase the budgets. But I want to make the films my way. All my films Page 3, Satta, Chandni Bar, Corporate, Fashion are all women centric films. All my Heroines Kareena, Tabu and Kangana cooperated and even reduced their fees to work on these films. It became possible to make them when lot of corporates came and started backing them.

He further tells, "Sadly, Heroins also feel sometimes that heroine centric films as solo films may not work and if a film fails it will come on their shoulders. In many films even Heroes don't want to work on a women centric film. There is a disparity for actresses, in terms of payments, also but things are changing."

Commenting on if the Work environment is safe for women after the Hema committee report he said," Yes things are changing, and actions are being taken to protect women."

Actress Pranitha Subhash said, "I played a cop in my debut, where a woman takes the cake in the film. The Roles for women actors are changing, now women are playing cops, doctors, army officers and they are not just eye candies."

Pankaja Thakur throws light on how difficult or easy it is to sensor films being a women says, "We are given guidelines by the government to sensor the films, and we had to strictly abide by it, and cannot get influenced by any personal biases and just act according to the guidelines. But being a women we are sensitive towards the portrayal of women and her dignity in films, because films set the cultural narrative of a country. So, it's a very responsible position".

She adds, "I look forward to see films on strong women characters, made on normal looking women, who are not necessarily beauty personified. Woman who's a provider, who's strong, who thinks of the society like the protagonist in Razi who is so capable that she can take care of not only herself, her family but the country as well."