With International Women’s Day two days away, we ask some successful women in cinema to part with one valuable advice that they would give young ladies in their field
Nikshubha Garg (MID-DAY; March 6, 2016)

The fact that Bollywood is largely male dominated is well known. However, over the years, several women have not only managed to make a mark in the industry, but an increasing number of them continue to throng fields which were long considered a man’s domain. With International Women’s Day around the corner, we speak to women in various fields of filmmaking, who are masters of their trade, about what it takes to be a woman in this industry and ask them for tips on how to keep going.

Richa Chadha, actress
Known for her unconventional choice of films, Chadha made her debut with 'Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!' and went on to do critically acclaimed roles in 'Gangs Of Wasseypur', 'Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela' and 'Masaan'.

Bollywood, for actresses, is still a male-dominated domain and expectations from women are different. For instance, from wearing a chiffon saree to doing an action sequence, you are always expected to look stunning, no matter what. Also, people in the industry perceive you differently once you are married or have a baby. There are way too may dynamics to discuss but people are way more critical of women.

Don’t compare yourself with anyone
I have garnered fame in the past three to four years and that’s the result of hard work, luck and getting the right opportunities. Everyone in this industry works hard to be where they are. Whether you appreciate their work, or give enough credit to them is a different matter altogether, but that’s the truth. Having been around for a while, I would say that it’s very important to be patient and understand the fact that everyone takes different means to be successful and defines success in their own way. You can’t sit back and compare yourself with others. You have to chart your own course.


Kausar Munir, lyricist
Munir began her career with writing for the television show 'Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin' and has written songs for films like 'Ishaqzaade', 'Ek Tha Tiger' and 'Dhoom 3'.

I think that things are looking up for female lyricists in Bollywood and an increasing number are getting opportunities to showcase their skills. The ratio might be lesser compared to men, but I am cautiously optimistic. I don’t see anyone’s work being judged based on gender. However, having said that, I feel that people behind the scenes are judged mostly on the quality of their skills.

Be yourself
Whichever field you may choose, there are no guidelines or handbooks. Everyone has to find his or her own way. I think the awareness of what novelty one can bring in helped me. Humility and strength comes from knowing what you can do and what you can’t and pretending to be someone else is doing disservice to yourself. The same thing goes for gender. Embrace being a woman or a man and flaunt with that identity. Honestly, if I try to be one of the guys, it’s not going to help. But if I am going to be a friendly woman without the baggage of being one, I am bound to go a long way.


Shruti Mahajan, casting director
Mahajan began her career as a casting assistant and is responsible for casting films like 'Bajirao Mastani', 'Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela', 'Mary Kom', 'Shamitabh', 'Bobby Jasoos' and 'Finding Fanny'.

There is no short cut to making it big. If you have the correct intention and focus on your job, you will survive no matter which field you are in, whether you are a man or a woman. In fact, as a casting director, I feel that this field of filmmaking is not a man’s domain anymore. Women today have an edge over men in this field because it requires one to possess soft skills, which women naturally own. My male contemporaries have guided and supported me as well.

Intentions matter
If someone focuses on the job and takes it up for all the right reasons, he/she is bound to survive. I didn’t take casting up because it looked easy. I came into the field because of my passion for cinema. You just have to be good at your job.


Deepa Bhatia, editor
Having worked on films such as 'Kai Po Che', 'Taare Zameen Par', 'Rock On!' and 'Student Of The Year', among others, Bhatia has made a mark as an editor.

I cut my first film when I was 23 and the editing industry then was male dominated. However, Renu Saluja’s (Parinda) success at that point of time made me believe that all of us women could do it. And look how far we have come now. You pick 10 films today and women would have edited at least four to five of them. You can equally name five top men editors and women editors. It’s an open forum.

Hang in there
The nature of the job is such that you get better with time. Every editor needs to be patient and just hang in there. I struggled during my first few films, as I was apprehensive about doing it correctly and doing it well. I often questioned myself whether I knew all that is there to know about the craft because I was self-taught. However, I stuck around and it got better. Recognition, money and wisdom doesn’t come overnight; you need to give it time. I have seen newcomers who were good, quitting because the pay was less but I would want to ask them to hold on and everything will fall into place. It did for me.


Hetal Dedhia, gaffer (light designer)
Asia’s only woman gaffer till date, Hetal has worked on Bollywood films such as 'Don', 'Luck By Chance' and 'Guzaarish' as well as international productions, including 'Eat, Pray, Love' and 'MI 4: The Ghost Protocol'. She is the daughter of Mulchand Dedhia, a celebrated gaffer.

Academics wasn’t for me and I dropped out of school after the 10th standard, and began working immediately. It was an awkward feeling when I started; people didn’t believe in me and thought I would give up soon. However, that only strengthened my goals. Getting into a non-woman zone thrilled me and I haven’t regretted it even one bit. As for surviving, it wasn’t difficult. I know women do not become gaffers for various reasons but it’s a great place to be. I embraced being a light designer and focused on the job, and the respect I got in return was unimaginable.

Nothing is impossible
Everyone’s journey is different and difficult as far as being a gaffer is concerned but the only tip I could give is that once you know that this is what you want, just go for it. Nothing is impossible and you can do wonders. Once they get into gaffering, women will realise how satisfying it is as a career.

Watch your head! Amole Gupte, 51, Deepa Bhatia, 41 and son Partho, 13 buzz about in conversation.
Mitali Parekh (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 8, 2014)

Deepa Bhatia is the adult in the house. Husband Amole Gupte and son Partho are comrades, playmates, balcony scientists. The Bhatia-Gupte household is a racuous democracy, but a dedicated one.

Fresh from starring in his father's just released film, Hawaa Hawaai, Partho discusses camera equipment, asks his film editor mother if he can watch Heropanti again and reviews their just-concluded cinema dissertation session in the same breath. Amole matches his decibel level, speed of speech and enthusiasm. Deepa is left to steer the conversation.

This is a genuinely happy home. The contentment is not just the resultant alchemy of their personalities; it comes from wisdom that home must be a haven. And that's why they spend so much time here. When Partho was born, Amole and Deepa worked from home for three years. "Partho was the first one to leave," says filmmaker, script-writer, poet, artist and actor Amole. "I joined his montessori the same day as an honorary teacher and left seven years later with him."

He says his films (Taare Zameen Par, Stanley Ka Dabba) aren't the result of empathy for children; it's because he is a child and knows their emotional complexities. It's not just something clever to say. Amole is most comfortable sparring verbally with Partho, nudging his worldview to grow. (Partho: Kejriwal is in jail. Amole: Arre, that's his fault. He refused bail.) With adults, when Amole senses a different wavelength, he drifts into his imagination. "I have just been forced to have an adult moment," says Amole. "I lost my father last month, and realised things are not in continuum. He was the first member of my immediate family unit to pass away."

Deepa's father passed away when she was 17. She and her sister took turns to get an education, while running the family business with their mother. Now, both their mothers live with them. Naani Bhatia is fasting while Aaji Gupte is cooking a yummy upvaas dish for her. Otherwise, Amole is the cook.

"I don't enjoy cooking and my mother advised me to stay bad at it, else I'd be stuck in the kitchen," laughs Deepa. "She encouraged us to pursue a profession. My father treated her like a queen. We were not allowed to talk back to her or complain about how messy she left the kitchen. I'm sure they exchanged cross words, but it was out of hearing shot. The man-woman relationship has to be harmonious for the home to be happy."

Amole comes with a rare empathy for working women. "Both my parents worked and I took care of my younger brother. You learn to help with the housework and realise that mother is going to come home tired so let's take the help of a friend to make a vegetable cutlet for her," he says matter-of-factly.

When Amole met Deepa, he was past his wild phase of drugs, booze and rock-n-roll ("We were the Woodstock generation, remember?") and was leading a solitary life as an artist working out of a studio in Mahim. He was 30; she was 20. "He had a jumbo film can with chillar he had collected over the years," says Deepa. "He lived on that money, taking a bus from home to the studio and back." "I lived with my parents," continues Amole, "I had very few material needs."

"When we started dating, sometimes we'd need to take a cab home and he realised a girlfriend could be expensive," Deepa smiles.

Cinema brought them together (Deepa had gone to Amole to assist him on a project) and it binds the family. They have only one television and they watch it together. Sometimes, it's Tom and Jerry for all three.

Amole credits Deepa with his cinematic expression. "I didn't make films before I met her," he says. "First, there was physical attraction, which is unquantifiable, and then she became my muse."

Deepa was won over by his integrity and genuine interest in nurturing her potential. "He'd talk me out of taking up assignments for money alone. When Amole makes a film about children, he is also interested in their well-being on set. He shoots in four-hour shifts over holidays so that the actors don't miss school," she says.

Deepa edits all their films, besides working on others like Student of the Year, Rock On!! and My Name is Khan. She's also the co-producer and her conviction about the production process makes her an ally. "We are aware that the film is bigger than us," she says. "If I insist on a cut, Amole knows I am convinced it will only make the film better. I understand the film takes longer to shoot because we follow an ethical process."

Partho is not insolent as you'd expect. He has a football analogy for fame: "When I am playing football, my opponent is not thinking, 'Arre, ye toh Stanley Ka Dabba mein tha. Isko goal marne deta hoon'." "He is not exposed only to Bollywood," explains Deepa, "so he doesn't have a conventional idea of hero-heroine. He sees technicians and scriptwriters. For him, his mother is his heroine and father, hero."

Amole's concern is with exposing him to poverty. "The upper middle-class goes from AC homes to AC schools," says Amole. "Then they plot how to escape the country, while not taking responsibility for it. I want Partho to understand that not everyone has the same advantages, but everyone has potential."

Amole and Deepa conduct dramatics and cinema dissertation classes at a nearby municipal school through NGO Aseema. The idea is that a child from this milieu can join the industry, not only as a spot boy but as cinematographer or script-writer too. "We want to expose him to as much as we can," says Deepa. "He can still like Golmaal or grow tomatoes for the rest of his life if he wants." She's referring to Partho's latest hobby of gardening and his love for Rohit Shetty movies.

Partho was named so, we learn, because it's 'nice'. "It looks nice when it's written, it sounds nice with the 'O' at the end," says Amole. "My side of the family calls him 'Parth' and we don't correct them. We know what his name is. When I was lost and directionless, my father didn't call me a loser. He trusted that I was undergoing a process and let me have that time to cook. That's what I want to give Partho." 

Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 2, 2014)

"If someone compliments me on the editing, I think that I’ve failed,” says Deepa Bhatia, who’s edited films like Rock On, Kai Po Che! and Taare Zameen Par and is now busy with Hawaa Hawaai. She feels that the ideology behind her craft is extremely understated. She explains, “The whole idea of editing is that it should be invisible and only the film should emerge. We tend to think that anything that is visible is good editing. My funda is exactly the opposite. I don’t want to stand out, I want to be invisible. I’m not here to show off my craft.”

Presently occupied with adding final flourishes to her husband Amole Gupte’s latest directorial venture, Hawaa Hawaai, Deepa was faced with a professional predicament on the editing table. She remembers, “Hawaa Hawaai is a film about adrenaline rush and emotion. It’s has the energy of a sports film but it also has a soul. So my biggest challenge was to strike a balance between the two. If you lean too much on sentimentality, you can lose the energy that a sports film needs and if you lean too much on energy, you could make the film cold.”

Deepa singles out the climax which features a skating race as the one that tested her ability as an editor. What helped her sail through was having being inducted into the film from inception. “Luckily, I’ve been with the film from the scripting stage and have seen all the drafts to know what Amole wanted from the scene. Also, I was involved emotionally with the project from much earlier, not in terms of writing it but knowing what was happening at each point and by the time I sat down to edit the film, I was aware of how everything had been written, developed, changed, filmed etc. I knew that like all legendary sports films like Lagaan, Chariots of Fire, even Hawaa Hawaai should have a strong play off in the climax. Keeping that in mind, I’ve tried to keep the climax non-interventionist in the edit and in the execution,” she adds.

But being understated may lead to multiple interpretations which could counter the filmmaker’s narrative. “I have a lot of faith in people and in dealing with the material, understanding the story and reading the mind of the director. When you edit with that confidence, people respect that you’re trying to create a new world. I don’t like talking down to the audience,” she defends.

Another thing that helped Deepa nail the climax was Amole’s inventive way of shooting. “Amole shot it with multi-cameras and that gave us about six-seven angles for every shot. While this made the edit even more strenuous (as I had to go through almost 30 hours of footage to cut just the climax) it’s the only way to go if you have to scoop out the best moments from the material at hand,” she adds with a smile.