New Delhi, Mar 15 (PTI) From Nargis Dutt’s “Mother India” to Alia Bhatt’s spy in “Raazi”, a day-long exhibition here paid homage to some of the most influential women characters of Hindi cinema.
The exhibition, called “Vihangama: Women in Cinema”, was held at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts. It showcased the posters of 15 women-oriented films. The IGNCA comes under the purview of the Ministry of Culture.
The poster of the movies that were displayed were — “Mother India”(1957), “Bandini” (1963), “Aandhi”(1975), “Tapasya”(1976), “Umrao Jaan”(1981), “Razia Sultan” (1983), “Mirch Masala” (1987), “Damini” (1993), “Rudaali” (1993), “Godmother” (1999), “Chandni Bar” (2001), “Cocktail” (2012), “Mom” (2017) and “Raazi”(2018).
The exhibition was followed by a panel discussion on ‘Women in Cinema’.
The panel discussion featured Rashmi Mallick, Chairperson of SPIC MACAY, renowned Odissi dancer Reela Hota, senior journalist and author Jayanti Ranganathan, and film expert and author Iqbal Rizvi.
The discussion was moderated by Anurag Punetha, Controller of the Media Centre, IGNCA.
Ranganathan said in the 80s and 90s, the roles of female artists in most films were significant and progressive. Since the 2000s, there has been a change in the portrayal of female artists in cinema, with female protagonists being depicted more realistically.
Mallick said Indian films have always been successful due to the excellent performances of female singers and dancers like Roshan Kumari, Sitara Devi, and Begum Akhtar.
Hota mentioned that in the past, dance sequences in films emphasized love more, whereas nowadays, they tend to depict sensuality more prominently.
Rizvi said the roles of women in Indian cinema have changed, portraying them as empowered women instead of boxing them into traditional roles. PTI ANZ PY PY
