'Joram' through the gender lens, and women's roles in Hindi films

Released this month, Hindi film 'Joram' is a thriller about a tribal villager on the run with his baby daughter Joram. They are trying to escape the grasp of the urban police on one hand and rural politicians and Maoist rebels on the other. The film features women in key roles: Smita Tambe Dwivedi plays 'Phulo Karma', a bereaved mother seeking ruthless vengeance; Nimmy Raphel plays the Maoist rebel chief; and Megha Mathur plays the role of Phulo Karma's ever-present, tech-savvy sidekick. The film is not only gender-sensitive in its portrayal of women characters -- giving them nuanced back stories for psychological authenticity -- the cast and crew also attest to gender-conscious treatment on set and behind the scenes. (Smita Tambe was herself accompanied by her breastfeeding four-month-old baby at the time of the shoot.) eShe editor Aekta Kapoor speaks to the film's producer Anupama Bose along with three female leads Smita Tambe, Nimmy Raphel and Megha Mathur on how women are portrayed in Hindi cinema and their own aspirations for gender-conscious Bollywood films. Follow @esheworld for more conversations with inspiring women or subscribe to the e-magazine on www.eshe.in