Online campaign sparks off discussion on how to turn Tollywood more woman-friendly

A recent hashtag — #52FilmsByWomen — has been making its way across Twitter, asking people to pledge watching at least one film that’s been directed by a woman. The idea behind the campaign — to help female directors gain wider publicity and allow them to become more mainstream. Closer home, a study by Oak Foundation earlier this year showed that only one in 10 film directors in India is a woman, and nowhere is it more evident than in Tollywood.

Across the span of a few decades, only a handful of names such as B.V. Nandini Reddy, Revathi and B. Jaya come to mind. Actress Jayasudha says that the lack of women directors and producers has a financial basis. “The industry likes commercial films. Vijay Nirmala made women-oriented films at first, but then she switched to commercial films. There are a few producers who want to make films with women directors. It’s not that women can’t direct good movies — but nobody wants to take a chance,” she says.

The Telugu film industry needs a culture of promoting assistants and moulding them for the long run. Producer D. Supriya says the lack of stability puts off women from growing in the industry. “Good directors come from working as assistant directors, which is not prevalent in Tollywood. Look at Zoya Akhtar or Reema Kagti, they come from a strong background of being ADs,” she says.

She adds that opening up multiple avenues will help widen prospects for women behind the scenes. “Earlier it was a one man show. Becoming a script writer, a screenplay writer or a script doctor — these are only arising now.”

Nandini Reddy, director

However, Nandini Reddy says that she has seen the change in T’wood. The focus, she says, now lies on creating good content.

“When it comes to signing movies, it’s the quality of a story and your ability as a technician. Gender cannot come into consideration. It’s a job that involves crores of rupees, so they hire the best. Nobody hires me for my gender. You need to create a healthy, supportive ambiance for women to work, learn and become good at their jobs,” she says.