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In the right direction

Do women leave a special signature on the films they make? KAUSALYA SANTHANAM finds out from some directors

INSPIRED BY LIFE AROUND From Priya V.'s "Kanda Naal Mudhal"

"After a screening of Sringaram at a festival, a delegate said to me, `Only a woman could have made this film. I can't see a man doing it'," says Sharada Ramanathan.

From before the lens to behind it, from the news room to the editing table, from the world of culture to the sphere of cinema, women are zooming in from all directions to the field of filmmaking bringing their special talents and viewpoints to the art. Tamil cinema has a great tradition of actresses wielding the megaphone. T. P. Rajalakshmi, the pioneer, made Miss Kamala in 1936! Vijaya Nirmala entered the records for the largest number (42) of films directed by a woman. Bhanumathi, Savitri, Lakshmi, Jayadevi, Jayachitra, Sripriya... the list is impressively long. There are now quite a few women filmmakers in the city who are winning national and international awards, and accolades from the public. Do women leave a special signature on the films they make?

Artistic and practical

"Women are both artistic and practical — whether it is drawing kolam or haggling with the vegetable vendor, they do it equally well. This is seen to advantage when they make films; they are always conscious of cost. In fact, they should become producers," says cinematographer-actor-director Suhasini who has left her strong impact on films and TV serials. "Women are very observant which is why they are in charge of casting and continuity in films. Since a woman always reacts in an emotional way to what is happening around her, a woman director contributes greatly to the emotional content of a film. However, they are not as ambitious as men. The quality of trupti or contentment is a drawback. Women are like deer whereas men are like tigers ready to pounce," says Suhasini. The South Indian film industry treats women directors well she feels; but it is difficult for them to get finance. It is also annoying when non-existent autobiographical touches are sought to be found in their works. "And of course, when one has a husband like Mani Ratnam, directing a film can be demanding," she laughs.

"I have positive vibes around me," says Priya V. referring to her successful Kanda Naal Mudhal. Priya took the film after directing two TV serials and writing the story and screenplay of Mitr, My Friend. A woman director's way of depicting the female characters is quite different from a man's, she affirms. "When a man is in charge, what we see on the screen is what he idolises. When we deal with female characters, the portrayal is more real and in depth, there will be more greys." Her male characters are modelled on "father, husband, the guys I know... Kanda Naal's Krishna is my kind of a perfect guy, flawed but endearing." Women directors do have an edge over the men for, there is more curiosity to see what they have created," says this bubbly director who gets great support from her husband. "He wants me to make 50 films!"

Marketing, a problem

R. Buvana, a journalist, who has produced and directed documentaries and short films, speaks for women and the underprivileged. Rightaa Thappaa, her first feature film, which bagged a State award and an award at the Women Directors' film festival in Kerala recently, focusses on the problem of eve teasing. "Production costs will come down if more women enter film making. Marketing is the major problem we face," says this self-made film maker who has been greatly inspired by K. Balachander.

Well known among those committed to social issues are Janaki Viswanathan and Leena Manimekalai. Leena's documentaries, which highlight social concerns, have brought her international awards, while Janaki Viswanathan had a national award winner in Kutti, her sensitive debut film on child labour.

"Director plus woman is not a great combination to enter the film industry," says Sharada who worked for the Ford Foundation before making Sringaram (about a Devadasi.)

But the social perception is changing, she feels. "One can be unabashedly feminist and also feminine. The emergence of women film makers has two interesting directions: subscribing to the depiction of women as submissive to the system/fatalistic or else monstrous (picking up the sword which the man has dropped)."

Have things changed for women directors? "They have — a little. But women should bring about a paradigm shift. I see that happening in Revathy's Phir Milenge and Aparna Sen's Mr. and Mrs. Iyer. Women should bring about a change not just within the existing pattern but a change in the pattern itself."

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