Actress Aishani Shetty explores the portrayal of women in Puttanna Kanagal’s films

The portrayal of women in films has been a topic of discussion across various platforms, and while many actresses have often voiced their opinions on the issue, actress Aishani Shetty, who is currently pursuing a Post Graduate degree in Mass Communication from St. Joseph’s College, has gone one step further. As part of her curriculum, Aishani chose to write a dissertation on the portrayal of women in filmmaker Puttanna Kanagal’s films.So, what made her take up this topic? “We have been taught about feminism, women’s issues in class, and, as a Kannada actor, I personally wanted to write about films. When I joined the film industry, I had watched several films by Puttanna Kanagal and they always stood out. The depiction of women in his films is so different from what we see in most the films today. Even though his films were male-oriented, he also made women-oriented ones,” says Aishani.
“In the 60s, 70s and 80s, to give a platform to women was a big thing and that stood out for me, which is why I decided to work on this topic,” adds Aishani. The dissertation, she says, took her over six months to complete as she had to analyze 15 films of Puttanna Kanagal. “I had to watch those films several times in order to analyze each of them, and during the process, I realized that some of his films dealt with serious topics like women abuse, mental health, life of a sex worker and more. These issues affected me on a personal level as well and that’s when my guide told me to keep aside my emotions,” says the actress.
Watching Puttanna Kanagal films has been a liberating process and has changed her perspective, says Aishani. “When you watch his films and you see strong characters, you think, ‘Wow, this was in the 60s and 70s’. He always tried to look at things from the female perspective and subjectivity. His films were known as Kalpana’s or Aarathi’s films. Women were the protagonists in his films. Even the topic of sexuality was explored through the eyes of women. For eg, in his Edakallu Guddada Mele, there is a song dedicated to how a woman misses her husband and delves into her sexual desire,” says Aishani, adding, “The dissertation has changed my perspective completely and now, I understand that this is a complex area, not just in our country, but across the world. At the end of the day, my dissertation has broadened my horizon.”
The actress, currently busy with her dissertation work and assignments, says that she aims to direct meaningful films and hopes to draw inspiration from her dissertation. “The dissertation has changed my outlook completely and I hope that translates into my work. I would like to pen down a lot of stories and hope to direct and act in films,” Aishani signs off.