“Bollywood can still be male dominated in the macroscopic aspect of things. But today women are breaking barriers, leading narratives, and shaping the industry's evolution in a way that has not happened before. Also, there is a crucial shift in the way audience interacts with cinema,” says Kanika Dhillon, the woman instrumental in scripting the success story of women in contemporary Hindi cinema. Be it Rumi (Manmarziyaan) or Mukku (Kedarnath) or Bobby (Judgementall Hai Kya) or Rani (Haseen Dilruba), her women refuse to be mere placeholders; they break prejudices and challenge perceptions. Kanika imbues her women with main character energy. They are not immaculate devis or cardboard divas, but they are messy, confused, emotionally volatile, strong-willed and sometimes even problematic. 

We caught up with the author, scriptwriter, and now producer, and ask her some contentious questions on the portrayal of the independent modern woman in contemporary cinema including if the popular brand of feminism peddled in the movies is a byproduct of patriarchy, if the ‘man’s world’ is still uncomfortable with the idea of a working woman and hence the focus on sexual liberalisation instead of a financial one, and if it is a true evolution or just a case of older stereotypes getting replaced by newer ones. Excerpts:   

What is essentially a Kanika Dhillon woman?   

My women embody strength, vulnerability, and complexity. She is shaped by her own unique experiences and choices. They are nuanced and real characters.  

It seems in Bollywood we are still more or less oscillating between bechari (women reeling under patriarchy trying to find a voice) and bewafa (‘modern’ women treating men as disposable)! What’s your take on this?  

Love your question! We definitely should not be oscillating between bechaari and bewafa. We should also have Boss Lady, Befikar, Bindass, Besharam, Badtameez, Banal…we should be showcasing all shades of a woman, in all her glory, moods, mistakes and achievements. Because they are human to begin with!  

Why is it that most ‘independent women’ we are seeing in Bollywood are more interested in her sexual freedom and not a financial one? Why don’t we see more of the career woman with focus on the challenges she faces at her job? Is it that as a society we are still uncomfortable with the work life of professional women and even if we make her independent, we tend to focus more on her sexual life or gender roles?   

Statistics and data from real life are often mirrored in art. If you look at the data, the working-class gender ratio of women to men is really skewed. When the woman gets married and has a child, specifically the drop off ratio is immense. So, clearly in real life, we are not comfortable with this idea of a working woman. Hence, we see that sort of hesitation and representation in cinema as well. That is exactly what we are trying to challenge, and we should challenge – both in reel and real life.  

Is there then patriarchy within this brand of feminism?   
Yes, definitely there is a patriarchal brand of feminism where certain aspects and definitions of feminism are lauded and focused upon, while others are left out. Feminism is not just for the uber, rich and working class in the metros. That section is hardly a percentage. Feminism needs to be more inclusive and go down to the grassroot level. We need to think about the women who are living in small towns and villages, and how this idea of feminism can become accessible to them. How can we reach out to them and encourage them to have a voice, a choice, an opinion; not only in their day-to-day household chores and management, or finances of the family, but also at a professional workplace. That’s what I feel will be a big step in the right direction.  

Also, do you think the ‘modern woman’ Bollywood is coming up with are often imbued with traits that are eerily similar to that of a ‘toxic man’—she is alcoholic, finds being not loyal cool, has no respect for relationships, emotionally manipulates and gaslights men, speaks in fluent cuss words, and even gets physically abusive. Why is it that what is problematic in men is considered signs of ‘independence’ in women?  
  
Perhaps one can say we are in a transitional phase. Because if you were to see it from the other side, whatever is considered a sign of independence in a man, is considered problematic in a woman. For example, being ambitious is considered a sign of strength in a man, but an ambitious woman is seen as a bitch or a whore. A headstrong woman with opinions is considered problematic, while a headstrong man is considered very important and successful. Then again, a successful woman is considered problematic. I think this is because for over 100 years we have followed this prism where whatever is problematic in a woman, is actually a sign of a successful, independent man. So, now that we are in this transitional phase, however small or big the step may be, there would be an overlap of the prism turning on its own head.   

Once as a society we are more comfortable with this whole idea of strong independent women, cutting across social class and barriers, we will have independent woman on screen who doesn’t need to be extremely loud in making her choices, or give her the tropes of being an alcoholic, disloyal etc. And this is because then she would not have the burden to prove anything or fight against the world. 

So, Bollywood is going through a transitional phase...  

This transitional phase is not just in cinema, but also in real life. We are in a state of flux where the women are realising their rights and wanting to experiment with them more. But the men on the other hand are not yet equipped to deal with these women. To get into a state of true equality, the mindsets of men and women will have to be developed at the same pace. The men will have to be primed to the idea of a woman being successful, making decisions, and being out there on the work front. Along with this, the men will have to be okay with being in touch with their feminine side and playing the role of a nurturer. Both men and women must accept and respect each other’s boundaries and come to a mutually agreed zone. That’s when we will stop having these extremely judgemental and harsh labels for either of the genders, and eventually whatever is problematic for one gender will also be the same for the other. That’s when we’ll know we have really leveled in this aspect of life. The inverse prism has to settle.   

Do you think women writers can write more nuanced women characters because of their lived experience?   

I think storytelling stems from a place of empathy. Thus, storytelling and empathy transcend gender. Women writers bring diverse perspectives onto the table because it is essentially a table where these perspectives were earlier not allowed to exist.  

In my opinion, even though I do think that in an ideal world art should be gender-neutral, as a foundation and a building block, when it comes to telling stories of a woman, a woman’s voice adds a texture of authenticity and depth to the narrative.  

Among the women you have written, which has been the most challenging?  

My most challenging character has been Rani Kashyap from Haseen Dillruba. She is a woman who makes mistakes which are very hard for a society to digest, and even for the audience to sometimes forgive. It is difficult to pull off a character like that – while building that character, Rani had to walk a lot of fine lines and tiptoe around dangerous subjects, to finally make a grounded and believable character that everyone roots for, with all her faults and misdemeanours.   

Why did you decide to continue with Rani and Rishu’s story? What can one expect from the Haseen Dilruba sequel?  
  
I decided to continue their story because I really felt that Rani and Rishu have a lot to say. I really fell in love with the characters when I was writing them, and I didn’t want our relationship to end with part one. Also, I feel Panditji has a lot to explore. There are many stories that are there to tell, many exciting capers to be explored.   

What can you tell us about Do Patti, and why did you decide to produce this?   

For me as a writer, Do Patti was an immensely challenging yet equally gratifying experience as it allowed me to tap into my favorite genre in a way, I never had the chance to before. I knew during the writing process itself that this was a story I wanted to produce.  

Among all your movies which movie ending would you want to change and why?  
I would want to change the ending of Kedarnath. I’d want Mansoor to live!