Cop, banker, stand-up comic, homemaker, boss, pilot. A Bombay Begum, Kanta Bai, Vartika Chaturvedi, Dolly, Kitty or A Bollywood Wife. In a sari or overalls. Fabulous, Mismatched or in love. Whatever the story’s genre, format, mood, tone or character, I’m all these and much more.
In India ‘Stree’ means woman and I see a new era of Stree-ming. From Lust Stories to Paava Kadhaigal, from the two generations of Masaba Masaba to the three generations in Tribhanga – Tedhi Medi Crazy, more stories about and by women are making it to India and the rest of the world.
I‘m thrilled that Netflix is partnering with the National Film Development Corporation to support a screenwriting course for 100 women in India as part of the company’s $5 million global fund towards programs that help identify, train up-and-coming women talent around the world. I want to open the door wider for more stories by, for and about women, so that the women of today can tell the stories of tomorrow Stree-ming on Netflix.
This International Women’s Day, the women of Netflix – filmmakers, creators, actors, producers and executives – joined in an important conversation. Hear us firsthand.
Aadhya Anand: With women powered films and series’, Netflix is giving wings of hope to young women with big dreams. Women can be the ‘heroes’ of a series like ‘Bombay Begums’. It’s a huge leap from mainstream representation. Working with an almost all women crew was an inspiring experience in female bonding and sisterhood. It was magic on set. I’m in awe of Pooja ma’am and I want to be like all these women in the future. (And I hope Netflix’s next story is a young teenage adventure series.)
Amruta Subhash: I keep sharing my wishes to the universe. When I was younger I used to think “ohh when I pass a certain age l want meaningful characters”. At that time I didn’t know Netflix would happen to India. So grateful to the universe that it did. Services like Netflix are changing the way we look at women’s stories. It is vital that women are getting powerful roles, being celebrated as prominent characters. There was a time when after a certain age, women were stereotyped but today you even have the transformation of a male character in a book to a female character in the series. We must celebrate this.Earlier actresses would get a role where they need to dance only when they were very young right? Me getting to dance in Bombay Begums as Lily right now is so amazing! I think this is the best time for actresses who yearn for meaningful work.
Aneesha Baig: I’m fortunate to have worked with and been mentored by inspiring women in key positions over the years. The stories we get to tell now are so different from a decade ago. From Shefali Shah and Rasika Dugal in Delhi Crime to Sima Aunty and the conversations she provoked to our Fabulous Wives, and the joys of a sisterhood in your mid-forties, the fun lies in the diverse portrayals of female identity, agency and friendship. It’s exciting that ideas, for the most part, no longer need to be pitched as ‘women centric’ – and are recognised as good, viable concepts that happen to be female driven.
Ashi Dua: Streaming services have given us wings! They’ve let us in on the world out there and let the world look in on us. And here are the stories told from a female POV, with female protagonists and female crews. Writing inspiring female characters just flows because we’re surrounded by such women in real life, giving us the freedom to write honestly, authentically and yes, the audiences are ready for it.
Ashvini Yardi: The audience is exposed to such diversity of content on digital services and we need to trust their intelligence, discuss every issue straight up – age, gender, female friendship, divorce. Normalise these concepts. The audience resonates and knows it’s okay to not be okay. I am so glad that we can do that on the new streaming services.
Ayesha Sood: The work of all kinds of people inspires me – filmmakers, writers, athletes, musicians, editors and more. I want to know how and why people do the things they do and I want representation not just across work but gender too. We must celebrate those who give women their share.
Bhavana Pandey: Central characters, diversity of roles – Netflix is doing the best job at putting these women and their stories on screen. It’s done wonders for me, and women like me. I was a video jockey 20 years ago and never thought I’d do a show in my mid 40s. It’s been a beautiful comeback to TV. The reach was immense. The love too. Working with our largely female crew was amazing. Aneesha the producer, Naomi the writer, my four friends – working with such strong women, I’m absolutely loving it!
Divya Dutta: Streaming services are very democratic. People can watch a small film, a big film or a series regardless of who is in it or who it is made by. What draws people in is the credibility and authenticity of the storytelling. That sort of reach is amazing and we can’t underestimate the power to reach every home.
Dolly Singh: I never saw a true representation of another woman on screen growing up and that really damaged my own idea of what being a woman is about, what female friendships are like, what women’s dreams and aspirations should be. Thankfully now that is changing. We are seeking stories which are for women, about women and by women. Netflix definitely is making sure that it pushes out content which does justice to this. Work like Bombay Begums, Moxie, Bhaag Beanie Bhaag, Pitta Kathalu are commendable. I’m instantly happier the moment I see women around me, working with women directors, producers, photographers, DOPs, makeup artists, it gives so much hope that slowly but steadily we are moving in the right direction.
Guneet Monga: Women don’t compete. We fix each other’s crowns. And when we come together to tell our stories, we evolve the representation of women on screen. More women in the workforce means perspectives will change and changed perspectives impact society. As a producer, this is my responsibility.
Inayat Verma: I love being a little girl onscreen – I just have to be natural and everyone gives me a lot of love. My friends ask me, ‘Did you meet this hero, this heroine? Meri taraf se hello bol dena.’ It’s fun. Watching women on screen and working with them allows me to learn many good things including how to do this scene or that scene. I feel one day, I’ll be like them too.
Kaashvie Nair: Women hustling to make it, the doting housewife with the dark past, the matriarch who acts like a patriarch – we’re done with the ‘demure, sweet, abiding’ female clichés of Indian content. Streamers like Netflix have a vision about representation and now we write characters and stories that don’t need to fit into the Box Office ‘box’: stories mirror our today, tug at our heart strings and create revolutions. We create the worlds we want to share with our fans.
Kalki Koechlin: I’ve always believed in sisterhood, the idea of sharing women’s stories, stories that challenge ideas of faith, caste, ethnicity, gender. Understanding other women and knowing you are not alone is very empowering. Series offer a bigger character graph, the chance to really get into a character even if you’re not the lead. And the advantage is that the world is your audience.
Kaneez Surka: People weren’t used to seeing women doing comedy. It’s been 14 years on the circuit and I can see appreciation and visibility is growing, bolstered by streaming services. Whether it’s improv, specials or fictional comedy narratives, we’re getting there in terms of gender ratios too. Keep at it and in a few years we will have better gender parity in the male dominated comic industry.
Kirti Kulhari: For decades, in the Indian film industry, women have been stereotyped into one-dimensional caricatures on screen. Reality begs to differ. And streaming services with their archives of regional shows, films, docu-series etc have proved that digital audiences are happy to trade commercial entertainment for quality content. But even better, while we present bold, strong, independent women and their stories, told well – we’re holding a mirror up to society and proving that there’s a fantastic world beyond the blockbuster formula.
Madhu Bhojwani: Female producers are not different from other women. They work hard back at home and even harder on the sets. The business is male dominated but it is changing. There are women in every sphere of the business. Women are carving niches for themselves, there are many upcoming producers and we are earning our stripes.
Maheep Kapoor: We had to prove a point to people. Women married to actors, whether it is Gauri Khan, Twinkle Khanna or Mira Kapoor, they’re strong women with identities of their own. Star wives have always brought something to the table. This was an opportunity to clear the misconception that Bollywood wives live in the shadows of their husbands.
Mallika Dua: We’re living in a time where everyone from big stars to social media influencers are doing shows and films on streaming services. That’s because the characters have personality, significance, and something to contribute to every story. It’s what we look for in anything we do. It’s a great time for art, a great time to be a performer. I’m happy to be a part of this.
Masaba Gupta: I didn’t want to be stereotyped, given only certain roles because of the way I look or because of my body type for example. This show came my way like an opportunity not just to control the way I tell my own story. It was a chance to open doors for young girls who don’t look like the conventional Indian heroine but still have a place on screen.
Mithila Palkar: I got stereotyped at one point and thought I’d never escape but films like Tribhanga helped break the tag. As filmmakers and artists we have the privilege to tell stories which are diverse and powerful and I am excited about what the future will bring.
Monika Panwar: There’s a notion that with streaming services like Netflix, any actor with talent would be able to find work. If you are skillful and have what it takes to express yourself, you will have work. Any actor would want to do layered characters and that’s exactly what these services provide. This is magic.
Monika Shergill: Championing great stories means getting to the heart of what it means to be human. Whether it’s wielding a pen, being behind the camera, playing the story’s central character or producing a film or series, we always look for whose voice is missing. We are humbled to work with more than one thousand women creators, talent, and crew on and off the screen in India. Thanks to these wonderful women, people here and around the world experience the undeniable power of amazing storytelling.”
Naomi Datta: When there are strong female characters in a mainstream film, it is consciously labeled ‘woman centric’. Netflix doesn’t suffer under that performative self consciousness. There’s no one kind of woman and we’re watching different stories about 40 plus Bollywood wives, police investigators, stand up comics and nerds. There are more opportunities to create diverse stories fronted by women. As a creator, the other incentive is the global streaming audience – you could have a hit anywhere in the world. As an aside, I love that Netflix is reviving the ‘romcom’ internationally. I’d love to see a romance well told along with the edgy, unconventional narratives Netflix has pioneered.
Neena Gupta: I appeal to all children to encourage their mothers to work! Surrounded by women – director Sonam Nair and writers Punya Arora, Nandini Gupta and Anupama Ramachandran, I don’t think we had to turn around and explain to a male producer that this ‘actually happens in our lives’. The sensitivity with which women tell women’s stories is indispensable.
Plabita Borthakur: Good stories and actors are finding their space here. The audiences are enjoying watching them. It’s such a great service that even film actors are looking for opportunities to venture into these services and that’s incredible. Digital spaces like Netflix are a savior in this crisis. They bring audiences to our stories.
Prajakta Koli: I feel that the more creators we have and the newer topics we tap into, the more we are providing viewers with a larger variety of stories to watch. This is important as it’s a way to build our presence on the service, and do justice to the wide range of opportunities that social media offers.
Prashasti Singh: I think we’ve made a fair start with Ladies Up given most of the women in the stand up comedy circuit started off at a time when many male comics had already done a couple of specials. This all women stand-up special captures our diverse stories and brings out insights that you can call very uniquely feminine. I am also very excited about my one hour stand up special coming out on Netflix this year. It’s a great time for women and it’s a great first step to seeing more women comics on streaming.
Rasika Dugal: All of us, men and women, are accountable for how women are treated in society and how women are portrayed on screen. Patriarchy isn’t gendered. And as women living in this system, we might have internalised it. Hence we constantly need to check ourselves on our prejudices. Streaming platforms, over the last few years, have made content which has pushed the boundaries and moved away from formula. I am so encouraged by this kind of storytelling and grateful for the opportunity to be a part of it
Renuka Shahane: I am my mother’s daughter. She introduced me to the arts, gave me a sense of gender justice, she is an ally, my best friend, my greatest privilege. I use my voice to draw attention to the tenets of equality across gender, caste and class.And we need platforms that work as allies too.
Sayani Gupta: The doors to streaming services are open for all creative folk – writers, actors, directors, everyone. And so many women storytellers are coming to the fore alongside women directors, cinematographers, technicians and others. What a huge difference the female gaze makes. Yes, we have a long way to go but we’re moving in the right direction. And, it’s a change that can evolve how we bring up our children and change society too.
Seema Khan: Every week, stories driven by women on Netflix featuring strong female characters are inspiring and motivating. You connect with them and look at your own life differently when you consume content like that. And being onscreen myself has created emotional and professional connections with women across all ages. Doors are opening, I feel validated and like I have my own identity. I’m all about girl power and to work with women – I don’t know any other way to be honest. It’s challenging and liberating. My girl tribe means everything to me. It makes me proud to be associated with such strong women and be a part of each other’s journey.
Seher Aly Latif: Women are in positions of power at Netflix and it has changed the game. Those notions, “Women don’t do technical stuff. They’re not ambitious. They can’t handle money,” are being challenged. The focus is on the material, the team has been incredible. We’ve worked with other services, it’s not the same equation.
Shefali Shah: In her 40s a woman is at her prime. But it’s taken some time for the entertainment industry to wake up to it. Finally we have directors, filmmakers, storytellers who are ready to take risks, to move away from the expected and comfortable and truly weave content driven stories and characters. Netflix and other streaming services have a huge hand in not only encouraging such storytelling and characters but consciously making a choice of celebrating a woman no matter what her age. Lines between the actor and character are merging. Now no longer does a woman have the shelf life of cake and yet she is decadent. Finally the entertainment world is revelling in her mystique.
Shivani Saran: A woman producer is a producer. A woman director, a director. A woman DOP, a DOP. We have to keep reminding people of this. Drop the ‘female’ thing and realize we are as talented, we work as well regardless of gender. History missed out on the women, but we’ve always been there. (Picasso’s muse Francoise Gilot, was an artist in her own right.) Women are writing their stories and have found the platforms for it so history is no longer miswritten. And that’s beautiful to me.
Shweta Basu Prasad: Streaming services greenlight projects that respect writers who then create characters who shine. Content becomes king and queen for actors like me, it means a wealth of substantial roles. I’ve really enjoyed playing a woman in a man’s world, shaking things up. And I’ve never been this busy in my life!
Sonam Nair: Smart, brave, amazing women get together to show women as they really are, on Netflix. There’s collaboration not competition and we need more women technicians, cinematographers, music editors. Women can show up for themselves and each other here, on and off screen.
Soni Razdan: Traditionally women, especially older ones, unconventional ones, were relegated to the sidelines. Now, roles across the board – older, younger, men, women – have become more interesting. There’s an evolutionary growth taking place in cinema and you can see it best in the stories being told on services like Netflix.
Srishti Arya: My role is to find great storytellers and back their vision. Many times we’re lucky to find that storyteller who happens to be a woman creator and bring their story to life. This means we have a superb variety of stories across a diversity of themes. We’ve been championing female-forward narratives in India with strong women characters and creating stories for women and by women and this is just the beginning. Seeing one story can affect millions of us who watch it, and when you see yourself reflected on screen, it gives power to your experience. We started this year with three Indian original films, Tribhanga, The Girl on the Train and Pitta Kathalu and we will continue to bring fabulous women-centric stories on Netflix in 2021. We want to do many more.
Sumaira Shaikh: My favourite shows on Netflix have all been either created by women or have a strong female lead. And they’re not necessarily young so we get to follow a lead who has depth, diverse life experiences and the show has more layers and interesting dilemmas. I’m going to be on the Comedy Premium League. Having a comedy special on a streaming service is a goal you work towards. It’s unbelievable I get to be on a platform so early in my career. That’s the sort of representation and diversity I love Netflix for.
Surveen Chawla: Brave, corrupt, submissive, unapologetic, ambitious, women of different sexual orientations, from all walks of life, at any age or stage in their lives – people are telling their stories with more gumption and Netflix is bringing them to the forefront and without the clichéd ‘woman-oriented’ marketing tag. Women have been stereotyped as perfect so it’s a delight to see narratives featuring flawed women. And the reason these characters are taking centre-stage is because there are a lot of women backstage. There’s a camaraderie that comes from deep human understanding, supreme talent and true support. The empathy, knowledge sharing and encouragement, it’s exhilarating on and off set. Things are looking great ahead.
Tahira Kashyap: There aren’t enough stories about women. My life is brimming with so many for them, about them, around them. And here’s a place where I can tell these stories. Where I can make that deep connection.
Tanya Bami: It’s never been a better time to have your voice heard or story told. In this golden age of entertainment we’re lucky to work with so many amazing women creators and take their stories across the country and around the world. The magic happens when we work with fearless storytellers and bring their vision to life. I’m proud to draw on their collective brilliance and create the finest, most entertaining stories.”
Zayn Marie Khan: Representation was once shoved aside with the excuse that the film won’t make money, you can’t take too many risks. Netflix takes that pressure away. There’s a path forming that was unimaginable five years ago. It feels like you don’t have to ‘fit in’ anymore to work and be appreciated and that’s brilliant. It feels natural to be surrounded by women in positions of power, directing, producing, playing any role they can dream up without it being surprising or an anomaly. That’s the way it should be.
Zoya Hussain: The disability of my character in Mukkabaaz is a reflection of the lack of expression most women have in our society. Today, it’s streaming services like Netflix who champion bolder, diverse stories and ideas. It’s because of this that there is now more space to voice newer ideas and take creative leaps – as an artist and as a woman.
