‘Dunki’ Writer Kanika Dhillon Says Female Characters Still Stilted

MUMBAI, (IANS) – Writer-producer Kanika Dhillon says the way Indian cinema views female empowerment, female characters end up getting stuck in a narrow spectrum.

The screenwriter-producer, who has penned films such as ‘Dunki‘, ‘Haseen Dilruba’ and ‘Manmarziyaan’, notes that female characters in Indian cinema are either righteous, or they exist only to be the male protagonist’s source of motivation, when there can be many shades of these characters on screen.

“Female empowerment in Indian cinema has been stuck in a spectrum of either righteous, holier-than-thou characters, or existing to be the male protagonist’s sole source of motivation, the black and white,” she said.

“As a writer and producer, I believe their empowerment comes from depicting them in their nuanced glory, exploring the depth of their psyche, their imperfections, and their conflicts,” Dhillon added.

Going deeper into the idea of a nuanced portrayal of women, she said: “The women I have been blessed to see are deeply flawed and embrace their flaws without being ashamed of them. That is how I try to write my characters as well, whether it’s Rumi from ‘Manmarziyaan’ or Rani in ‘Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba’ (upcoming film).”

Talking about her goals for the female artiste community, and how she wishes to contribute to it, she said, “The community has recently started flourishing with the rise of female-centric stories. These artists would do wonders if they were given the opportunity to bite into complex characters rather than being stuck with embodying a placeholder in a man’s world.”

She concluded by saying: “As a producer and writer I want to contribute to this growth by writing and backing more such dynamic female characters who tend to question the inherent biases that exist in our audiences, whether it comes from their conditioning or morality.”