The year 2014 kickstarted on a pleasant note with Dedh Ishqiya , riding largely on the effortless performances of Madhuri and co- star Huma Qureshi.
Madhuri's presence in particular confirms that Bollywood has broken the stereotype of not casting 40- plus actresses in lead roles. In the process, she underlined again what Sridevi hinted at a while back with English Vinglish - age and gender actually have nothing to do with popularity.
The trailer of Madhuri's other upcoming film, Gulab Gang , was launched with Dedh Ishqiya , only establishing the actress's sustained popularity even after all these years. The trend normally is to launch trailers with big films starring male superstars.
In male- centric Bollywood, which follows an unwritten code of chauvinism, such change is good. Women in the centrestage, however, are not restricted to starring roles only anymore. They are also making their presence felt even off the camera.
After emerging as queen bee of Bollywood in 2013, Deepika Padukone is out to take her career to its next level with Homi Adajania's film, Finding Fanny Fernandes . She has reportedly struck a profit- sharing deal with the producers of the film. Again, profit- sharing deals till now were prerogative of male superstars only.
" Heroes have been demanding profit shares for ages now. Producers and big studios willingly strike a deal with saleable heroes because they guarantee profits. Heroines demanding profit share is still unheard of in the industry," says trade analyst Komal Nahta hinting that Bollywood still has more faith in leading male stars when it comes to earning mammoth returns at the box office.
The relatively- new Anushka Sharma has decided to turn producer with a small- budget film, NH- 10 , directed by Manorama Six Feet Under maker Navdeep Singh. The script appealed to Anushka so much that besides coproducing the film along with Vikramaditya Motwane, she even slashed her fee and charged only one- third of her market price. Anushka's agenda to don a producer's hat is " to produce small films with strong scripts which would rarely be offered to me". " As a producer, Anushka may not get into the nitty- gritty of filmmaking but she will have a say in giving chance to offbeat content," adds Nahta.
STAR wives such as Gauri Khan and Malaika Arora Khan have been prominent producers for a while now. While Gauri is credited as producer of Om Shanti Om, Ra. One and Chennai Express , Malaika is officially a producer of the Dabangg series. However, they have never made any attempt to be in the forefront. Their names have only been restricted to the credit rolls.
For new- age Bollywood heroines, it is no longer about strong characters in films. Vidya Balan, Kangna Ranaut, Parineeti Chopra and Priyanka Chopra have long taken the onus so far as single- handedly pulling a film is concerned.
As women power in Bollywood reaches its next level, girls get more innovative to make their presence felt.
Deepika Padukone has reportedly struck a profitsharing deal with the producers of Finding Fanny Fernandes
Deepika slashed her fee for the film, only to strike a profit-sharing deal with producers Illuminati Films and Fox Star Studios. The small film made on a budget of Rs.15 crore is targeted at a crossover audience.
Profit-sharing essentially means the star will be paid a predecided percentage of the film's profit, if it becomes a hit. The trend is unheard of for actresses in Bollywood though male superstars regularly strike such deals. Kareena Kapoor reportedly signed a similar deal for Heroine, but the film failed to make profits.
Watch out for:
More such deals in future for leading actresses who can boast of running a film on their own.
Anushka Sharma turns producer with Navdeep Singh's NH- 10
The film was originally planned as a Bollywood launchpad for Slumdog Millionaire girl Freida Pinto, but was finally offered to Anushka. Looking at the strong script, Anushka slashed her fee and charged only one- third her market price and also decided to co- produce it with Eros International and Vikramaditya Motwane. Replacing Rajkummar Rao with Neil Bhoopalam as hero, the film is ready to roll. Anushka plays a young detective who operates on the highway between Delhi and Haryana. Her production house Clean Slate Films will be making many more such small films on unusual themes.
Watch out for:
Some more strong characters for Anushka in small- budget films produced by her home production, Clean Slate Films.
Divya Khosla Kumar makes her debut as director with the teenybopper flick Yaariyan
Being the wife of T-series honcho Bhushan Kumar, Divya insists, was the biggest hurdle when she decided to don the director's hat. People start judging you and write you off before actually seeing your work only because you happen to be associated with a big surname," she claims. Making a film a budget of Rs.11 crore with newcomers in the lead was always a challenge, she adds.
Watch out for:
More films directed by the late Gulshan Kumar's bahu.
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