Despite claims of increased female presence on film sets in Mumbai, a report by Ormax Media, Film Companion, and Prime Video reveals that gender equality in the Indian film and streaming industry remains lacking. The study found that only 12% of creative department head positions were held by women, with marginal improvement from 2021. In addition, only 13% of senior management roles in the top 25 media and entertainment companies were held by women. The report also highlighted a decline in female representation on screen, with only 34% of theatrical films passing the Bechdel test in 2022 compared to 46% in 2021. Streaming platforms were found to fare better in gender parity.
Asked to identify a big change in the Mumbai film industry over the last few years, senior actors often say it is the presence of more women on the set during a shoot. Their answer riles Shailesh Kapoor, CEO of consulting firm Ormax Media, since his research on films and streaming business in India proves otherwise. “Anecdotally more women may be visible on the sets but the entertainment industry lags in gender equality in terms of representation of women on screen as well as behind it, especially in senior roles,” said Kapoor who has just released the third consecutive report on the subject in collaboration with entertainment news platform Film Companion and streaming service Prime Video.
The report analysed 156 theatrical films and web series released in 2022 in eight Indian languages to conclude that the needle hasn’t moved much since 2021 on more equitable representation of women in the media and entertainment (M&E) industry.
On the creative side, the study analysed 780 heads of departments (HOD) in direction, editing, writing, cinematography and production design, to find that only 12% of these positions were occupied by women. Though this is a marginal improvement on the 10% in 2021, the growth is led by web films and series and not by theatrical releases.
Unfortunately, even on the corporate side, women in senior management roles remain scarce, and only 13% of these were held by women in the top 25 M&E companies.
Aparna Purohit, head of originals, India & southeast Asia, at Prime Video, said the streaming service partnered with Film Companion and Ormax on the ‘O Womaniya!’ report for its accurate portrayal of female representation in India’s M&E industry which has traditionally been male dominated. “While it may be unsettling to see the numbers in the report, it is a reality check and should be treated as one – to act as an impetus for us to do better,” she said, adding baseline data is important to plot progress.
In 2022, direction, editing and cinematography saw a marginal 3% increase in women in lead roles over 2021, while there was no change among writers. Mrinalini Jain, executive vice president, content and business, at production company Banijay Asia (which owns Endemol and makes The Kapil Sharma Show and Bigg Boss, among others) however, said she has seen massive participation of female writers in the last two years, especially, in streaming.
Purohit agreed that streaming was driving the change. Female representation can improve in front of the camera only if things begin to change behind it, she said. “To that effect, we have mandated the presence of women in our writers’ rooms. This year I have taken a pledge to ensure that we have at least 30% women HODs on all Prime Video India’s original series and movies,” she added.
The on-screen gender balance has a male skew too as the Bechdel test on properties under study showed. Bechdel test is internationally accepted measure of female representation in cinema. In 2021, 55% of the properties analysed passed the Bechdel test but the number dropped to 47% in the latest study. Theatrical films saw a bigger decline from 46% in 2021 to 34% in 2022. However, web series that passed the test remained constant at 55% in both years.
The streaming eco system fares better in gender parity than films as it is newer, more progressive, and inclusive. Prime Video, for instance, prides itself in creating female-forward stories such as Maja Ma, Dahaad, Made in Heaven and Four More Shots Please!
“Promoting diversity and inclusion is essential for reflecting the diverse world we live in and for ensuring that our content resonates with audiences from all backgrounds,” Purohit said.
Banijay’s Jain said that even though content is selected on the strength of the story rather than on being male or female-led, “but having said that, I actively look for women-oriented stories and feel our female characters can be written better. I also try harder to get talented women creators and ensure they are represented fairly.”
Kapoor from Ormax, which does extensive content tracking and testing for M&E sector, said it may be a few years before the percentage of women in leadership positions shows a jump from 12%-13% today to, say, a more meaningful 25%. “People actively discussing the issue are still in minority,” Kapoor said. Clearly, change will be slow given India’s history of denying women equal opportunities and liberties as men.
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