Richa Chadha talks about women working behind-the-scenes in Bollywood

Actor-producer Richa Chadha says she wants to work towards empowering women in traditionally male-dominated areas of the film industry, such as spot and lighting departments.

The 37-year-old actor, known for films like Gangs of Wasseypur, Fukrey franchise, said for her debut home production, Girls Will be Girls, they trained and hired women in the lighting department.

Directed by Shuchi Talati, the film follows the journey of Mira, a 16-year-old girl whose rebellious awakening is intertwined with her mother’s unfulfilled coming-of-age experiences.

“Intentionality matters, and we have to try and do something. I turned producer with Girls Will Be Girls. The director is a woman. There was a sexuality thing in the film, so she wanted an all-female team.

“In the lighting department, there are no women in India. We thought of doing a training programme for it. A company called Light and Light sent a trainer. They spent time with girls teaching (them) storytelling through lightning, using technology, etc. We hired one of them on our set,” Chadha said during a panel discussion at FICCI Frames on Tuesday evening.

The actor said while there has been “progress” in the representation of women in front of and behind-the-camera, a lot of work still needs to be done.

Condemning the recent incident of a Spanish woman’s gang-rape in Jharkhand’s Dumka district, Chadha said such “horrible” instances create a fear of “unsafe” atmosphere for women.

“We have made some progress. Every year it is better than last year. But then, it’s taking two steps forward and one step back. When something horrible happens in society, whether it’s in Manipur, Jharkhand, it sets people (back in time) because then parents are like, ‘It’s unsafe for you to study and work’. We are not in a decision-making position in society,” she said.

Chadha and Ekta Kapoor were part of a panel discussion at FICCI Frames, called Trailblazers in entertainment: Celebrating Women’s Contribution in Films and Shows’.

Kapoor said it is easier to make “misogynistic” films than a movie that celebrates womanhood.

“It has become far tougher since Covid-19 because it is easier to make a slightly misogynistic film, or a more machismo kind of film than celebrating womanhood or feminism. The word feminism is a taboo in movies. It is so scary as, we as women producers, want to support stories, and we will be at it,” the producer said.