We know what happens sometimes when men write about women. Breasts, hips (even ponytails) sway as heroines go the mall or to war. Women characters push men's journeys forward, disappear from the story after the item number. They rarely showcase the range of the female experience.
But when the roles are reversed, and women filmmakers craft male characters, something unusual happens - usually. It gives men, even muscled heroes, the kind of depth that audiences rarely see. Men are allowed to be vulnerable, exhausted, communicative, human. Audiences get to see what green flags look like in a romantic partner. Check out how many "Bro is a green forest"-type comments pop up on clips of Farhan Akhtar from Dil Dhadakne Do (2015), and Ranveer Singh in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani (2023). Men seem to love it too. Filmmaker Tanuja Chandra recalls something the late actor Irrfan Khan told her when they were shooting Qarib Qarib Singlle (2017). Khan plays Yogi in a rom-com about two people with contrasting personalities connecting on a dating app. Yogi is attractive, but more whimsical than macho. "He's someone who considers a woman his equal, if not better, and would never cross a boundary with her,” Chandra says. "Irrfan said that we had written a male character whom women longed for in real life. Someone who had flaws and annoying qualities that made him real, but who was also tender and respectful and a feminist," she says. "I told him, 'Why not? If one can't do this in movies, where else might one do this?""
Today's women filmmakers are determined to give their characters, male and female, a break from the tired tropes so audiences can breathe easy too. See how they do it.
Boy meets world
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 06, 2024-Ausgabe von Brunch.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 06, 2024-Ausgabe von Brunch.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Let's tri all the angles
BFFs falling for the same girl, kidnap twists, murders, bromances. These 10 three-way love stories play with geometry and our feelings
Should you Q up for this?
Audi's luxury SUV, the Q8, has had a refresh. But a sleeker grille and headlight tech don't make up for what's still missing
How to plan a great escape
It's getting colder. It's already hard to breathe. Why not plan a winter vacation that's a world away but not too far away?
Kababs, yes, but khandvi too
Mughlai cuisine has as many vegetarian dishes as meaty ones. A new translation of a 16th century manuscript shows how we ate, and why modern labels are pointless
I can be your hero
Gurfateh Pirzada, only afewroles old, is the green flag we didn't know we needed. He's learning from women. He wants to be more thana lover and a fighter. He's hoping we all do better. No wonder everyone's crushing on him
Meet the export experts
Khadi crop-tops in Spain, faux-leather hoodies in London, fairytale wedding gowns in the UAE. See how some desi labels are killing it on foreign shores
Why we're all feeling Blue
Coco Mellors's new novel is about grief, sisterhood, and of course, addiction and unlikeable women. How does she make it work?
This week, we're...
Changing the momo game, listening to kids, starting a new business, and supporting pro waxxers
Rohit Chawla
Photographer, artist, @RohitChawlaPhotography_
Congratulations, it's a goal
Lakeside vows, pastel palettes, bayous, backyards and boats. These celeb weddings are what modern fairytales are made of