‘It’s not just exploitation’: Female technicians in Kannada films fight against patriarchal mindset

On screen, they are ‘sheroes’. But, off it, women in the Kannada film industry are still struggling to find their space and voice, quite literally. On screen, their acting, costumes, make-up, hairstyle — everything gets noticed and appreciated. But the women behind the glam quotient are struggling for basic facilities on the sets of the films, including washrooms. The pay parity is a different topic in itself. The industry is not the same anymore and has undergone a huge change, especially in the last decade. The number of women on the sets has gone up drastically, from virtually one to plenty — right from stylists to choreographers to cinematographers, more women have made it to the film sets. But the space is still largely designed for men, by men, with many still contemplating the need for inclusivity. For these women, everyday sexism is very much a part of their jobs. While some have learnt to go with the flow — in the hope of a better future — some have exited the industry clout and started working independently. Here’s a look at what these women want:

Patriarchal system subdues female technicians: Make-up artisteThe make-up industry is dominated by ‘make-up dadas’. Even the association for make-up artistes is dominated by men. We are looked down upon by them as they have that patriarchal belief that they are way better than us, because they have been doing it for generations. As a member of the association and get assigned to work through them, your daily pay is as low as ₹2,000-3,000. Whereas, outside, I make around ₹15,000-20,000. These days, the female leads do ask for a particular make-up artiste. But, there too, we have to work ‘alongside’ a man assigned by the association. While I do the make-up inside the caravan, he will be the one on the sets assisting the actress. Even to pull up a zip of an outfit or to do cleavage make-up, on the set, the female lead has to depend on him. That is quite uncomfortable for actresses.
— Vydurya Lokesh, make-up artiste

Women are roped in only for smaller projects: Screenplay writerWhen I approach producers to narrate a script, the first thing they ask is: ‘Is this a women-centric film?’. Most of them have this preconceived notion that women are capable only of that, which is unfortunate. They think we are only capable of making only a low-budget or non-commercial or artsy films. They assign stereotypical genres for women and when we try to break that, they say people won’t accept it. Once a producer told me that I could go ahead with my directorial project, but should add a ‘male director’s name’ along with mine, because my name alone cannot pull people to theatres. Before becoming an associate director, I have worked as a photographer. During cash payments, the client would rather pay my assistant (a man) than me. Some of the men that I have hired for work hesitated to take money from me — because I am a woman — and insinuate that they would want to take it from a man. A big change is needed from the grassroots itself
— Manasa Sharma, screenwriter and associate director

We seek basic needs: StylistI was styling an actor for a film, and we were shooting in a deserted region. It was a double call sheet, so the shoot naturally went on for almost 24 hours non-stop. You won’t believe that I had to hold my urge to use the loo for the entire 24 hours, because there was no access to a separate washroom. This has always been the case when shooting outdoors. When we ask for basic necessities, they always try to replace us with a man, because apparently, we are ‘very demanding’, and come with ‘women’s issues’. The industry has certainly become inclusive, but has it provided us with basic needs after including us? A big NO! A few actresses can take a stand for their team, but they won’t, because they feel it might make it difficult for them. Instead, they prefer to ask us to adjust
— Tejaswini Anjan Kumar, stylist

We need more female voices to speak out: Voiceover artisteThe disparity starts right from the fact that women hardly have any dilogues in films. So, a female dubbing artiste has lesser work compared to male. There are hardly any women-centric films of late. Even as a singer, it has been a really long time since there has been a good solo song featuring a woman. It’s mostly been duets or ‘item songs’. We need more women’s voices onscreen.
— Sparsha RK, singer and voiceover artiste

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