For decades, female sexuality has remained a hushed topic onscreen, with no focus on the demands, needs or pleasure of a woman. But not anymore, as the OTT space is scripting a change in the narrative, while stripping off the taboo around such subjects, changing mindset – one show at a time.

“Female sexuality is finally being acknowledged in storytelling. This is a positive change. Women are finally being acknowledged as sexual beings and not merely as objects of male desire,” says actor Rasika Dugal, who received acclaim for her role of a sexually dissatisfied wife, who starts a relationship outside marriage in web series Mirzapur.

There was a time when the subject of sex came with a bundle of awkwardness, sometimes wrapped together with suggestive lyrics or visual metaphors like brushing of flowers. Yet, sex was hardly a female affair, and that is what the filmmakers are out to change now. Be it a story of four friends exploring their sexuality in Four More Shots Please!, or the importance of consent in Aahana Kumra’s Marzi, or a more complex look at sex play in recently launched, Bombay Begums.

And filmmaker Imtiaz Ali is pleased by this positive change in the way these subjects are being explored. “OTT platforms allow the point of view and the duration to look at women in a more multi dimensional manner,” says Ali, creator and writer of She, adding, “Sexuality is something that in our society is often used as a weapon to repress people. And being able to make a story about that was very interesting”.

Interestingly, now, the focus is not just on sex, but on exploring one’s sexual identity and owning it up without any hesitation. If there are women indulging in acts of self-pleasure, then there are also women struggling with their orientation. Some examples of redefined portrayal include shows such as Lust Stories, A Married Woman, Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare, and Made In Heaven.

Dugal finds it encouraging that “scripts are now exploring and celebrating femininity”; however, she has her concerns. “Filmmaking is a visual medium and there’s a long journey between the written words and the visual. Sometimes, even the most well-meaning scripts end up with sexualised images or visuals. Even with the best intentions we’re finding it hard to break away from those,” she rues.

Actor Shweta Tripathi Sharma, whose introduction scene in Mirzapur showed her character indulging in an act of self-pleasure, feels it’s time to normalise the conversation about women having desires. “This happens, there’s no point shying away from it. Let’s not be hypocritical,” she says. Recalling her introduction scene, Sharma says, “I didn’t think it was a big deal. But there were so many journalists who asked me about it, and I was like ‘Come on.. As actors, we put ourselves out to tell a story... toh iss ko itna bada mat banao.”

For Sharma, the intent of a story is more important than the act. “As long as that intention is correct, it should definitely be explored,” she says, adding, she’ll never associate with a scene which is done just to catch eyeballs. “We have huge responsibility as actors and as storytellers, and we shouldn’t exploit the power... Our moral compass should be in the right place,” she shares.

Director Abhishek Pathak feels that “the way the content is perceived by the audience has also changed in a positive way”. To this, Sharma adds, “The more educated we are, the better it will be. I think the audience is definitely more aware.”

A still from (L to R) She, Bombay Begums and Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare