Meatier roles, better pay: How OTT platforms are unboxing female actors

Until recently, the strong, liberated female characters in Bollywood productions were limited to the manic pixie dream girl trope. But that time is passing, feels filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan, as OTTs have democratised content.

- Shreyanka Mazumdar

As in his short film Geeli Pucchi – a part of the anthology Ajeeb Dastaans that explored prejudices against caste, gender and sexuality, real and relatable roles are being written for women on OTTs, irrespective of their age and profile. And that is a welcome change.

“I’m happy that we’ve gone past the time when a woman walking into a boardroom full of men was considered ‘bold’ and ‘progressive’. Now the same woman is planning a corporate takeover, choosing an alternate partner, and managing her family in a single day.

I’m an intersectional feminist and I’d like to see women in conjunction with other subaltern markers as sexuality, class, religion, disability, caste, state oppression and more. Making a Geeli Pucchi would have been difficult if it had the pressure of sole theatrical recovery,” he says.

RAW, REAL AND RELATABLE CHARACTERS

Vidya Balan, who delivered power-packed performances in Shakuntala Devi and Sherni, says that the concept of perfection is passe. “In today’s world, women no longer aspire to be ‘one kind of woman’. We have recognised that every woman is an individual and her journey, her struggles and triumphs are also individual. Women are owning their bodies and their choices and all of this allows for diverse characterisation of women in cinema because cinemas are a reflection of reality. OTT offers a space where you’re not necessarily looking for larger-than-life heroism.”