You May not see it but the Power Exists: Three Storytellings on Share Women's Stories

It is 2020, and we are still living in a patriarchal society. By this time, gender equality shouldn't have been an issue. But here we are, still fighting for equal pay for both men and women. In a society, where women are more than often treated as subhuman, female foeticide is still a thing, conversations around women are extremely important.

SheThePeople in conversation with Rashmi Desai, Preeti Shenoy and Tisca Chopra discussed Why telling women's stories is important. Rashmi is a popular television actress and Preeti Shenoy, the author of bestseller books like The Secret Wishlist. Tisca is an actress who has produced films like Chutney and more recently directored Rubaru.

Here's how the three storytellers look at present day narratives.

Imbalanced relationships for non-working women

Preeti says, "We are in 2020 and we still have female infanticide. We have the lowest statics for working women. When women do not work, there is a power imbalance that happens in the relationship. The person who earns holds all the power. There are these voices that need to be heard. When my book The Secret Wishlist was released, many women told me that they felt like I have told their stories. Even some men said that they never realised they were being so unfair. This realisation thing has to happen. It is very important. When people read these stories, they relate with it even when they don't want to come out to themselves that this has happened to us."

Read Also: Women Need To Tell Their Own Stories: Author Shashi Deshpande

Women underestimate themselves

Rashmi says, " People aren't completely positive or negative. I related to my character Tapasya in Utaran. Sometimes, things like TRP limit you and your art but I understand that. Women in India really underestimate themselves. They have the power to change the world and how things go."

You may not see, but the power exists

Tisca, the actress from the short film Chutney says, "The women are understood to be the weaker section of the society. They become underdogs by way of perception. That allows them to be very interesting narratives." About her short films, she says, " In Chutney, my character had nothing going for her. She had a bechaari image. But people could not understand how her brain worked. She found her own way to navigate and negotiate her life. In the short film Chhuri, we have a similar story except that the husband is having an affair with another woman. She finds a very clever way to talk to the mistress and gives her the message loud and clear."

To explain the significance, she adds, " Chutney is an important part of Indian food. Nobody would say we ate chutney today. But when it is not there we miss it and feel its absence. The idea of Chhuri was to make a cut so fine that it is almost like a paper cut but it pains. The idea of using women as the underdog and using the narratives to establish that you may not see it but the power exists (in women)."

Read Also: Dear Bollywood, Why Is Your Focus On Men In Women’s Stories?

Some stories need to be told

On being asked about how she chooses her themes, Preeti says, " Usually, I have several ideas in my head but the theme that I pick is the one which keeps haunting me. There is something in me asking me to write this story. For eg., my book 'A hundred little flames' talks about love angle among older women. Such stories need to be told."

Today, women aren't scared to make the right decision

Rashmi says, " A lot of people have a lot of stories to tell. But they do not want to tell all the chapters of their lives. I like to do roles where women speak up when something wrong is done to them, otherwise not. I like to explore what their thinking process is like. Today's women go out, work and do things for the family. They make efforts to make the right decision even if they have to go against some people."

On being asked about what kind of role she wants to take up in future, she says, "I would like to do the role of Kasturba Gandhi. I wonder how legendary women like her managed everything. We only manage households, but how did they manage everything! Women are multi-talented. They are everywhere. I think women characters will be more powerful in the coming future. "

Read Also: Women Always Find A Way Of Telling Their Stories: Author Annie Zaidi

Exploring grey characters

When asked about creating grey characters, Preeti says, "Most of my stories aren't all about good people who will do good things all the time. Especially, in The Secret Wishlist, this lady is a mother and has an extramarital affair. Towards the end of the book, we are actually applauding her for having the affair. She stands with her son in her hand and she justifies herself which is completely against the views of the society. I do try to break myths like mothers cannot have desires."

If you have to sell, you have to market

On being asked about her marketing tactics, Preeti says, "If you want to sell, you have to promote and market. My theory of marketing is that your content has to be relatable and you have to give the readers something of value. For women authors- Don't be afraid to go out there and stand and tell people to buy your book. Women have written so many great books but they do no promote them much. And even if they do, they feel very apologetic about it. This society conditions women to be humble. But being humble doesn't mean you cannot promote your work."

To listen to the entire conversation, click here.