Sandalwood releases more than hundred films a year. Most of these films are action oriented and the heroines are given less importance. But today with movies like Dirty Picture setting a trend in the contemporary world, now there is hope to see more women-oriented films.
Directors Sumana Kittur and Kavita Lankesh interacted with City Express and spoke about the market for women oriented films, the importance of actresses in film industry and their future projects. When asked about the recent controversies involving Ramya and Nikitha in the Kannada film industry, Sumana Kittur said, “They are not film related. But yes, the industry is primarily male-dominated both on-screen and off-screen.” On the other hand, Kavitha Lankesh said, “Women are always blamed whenever these issues or controversies crop up. In Nikitha’s case, I extended my full support to her.” Kavita also mentioned that today Ramya has set her own standard in the Kannada film industry. She also opined that Kannada film industry has failed to market women-oriented films as opposed to Bollywood, Tamil film industry and others. Sumana also opined that women in commercial films today are just promoted to fill the gaps. “I admire Vidya Balan, as she is extremely performance oriented. She is ready to get into the skin of the character. In her upcoming film, Kahaani she has portrayed herself as a pregnant lady. But these kinds of films were only found during Puttanna Kanagal’s period, ” she said.
In his films Masanada Hoovu, Sharapanjara and Edakallu Guddada Mele, Puttanna Kanagal addressed women issues. Roles were also created by the directors according to their acting skills. Kavita said, “Actresses like Aarathi, Bharathi Vishnuvardhan, Kalpana, Manjula, Jayanthi and others got an equal opportunity to showcase their talent alongside Rajkumar and other eminent personalities in the film industry.”
“Every woman should have her own mindset during the whole decision making process,” said Sumana Kittur. She explained that in Slum Bala which starred Vijay and Shubha Poonja, an innocent woman becomes the victim of suffering. On the other hand in Kallara Santhe, which starred Yash and Haripriya, the woman is equivalent to men in all aspects and supports him in whatever task he does.
However, both the directors gave contradicting opinions on the safety of women off-screen. According to Sumana, the younger generation in the film industry are well-educated and protest against violence. She also said that actress are no longer dependent only on films as they have alternatives like tele-serials, advertisements and modelling. “But there are some actors in the industry who are prepared to give up anything to get recognised on-screen,” contradicted Kavita.
When asked about competition from their male counterparts, she said, “There is no camaraderie. We have our own commitments and swear by multi-tasking.” Sumana Kittur is now working on Edegarike, written by Agni Sridhar. Kavita too is working on her latest project Crazy Loka.