Q. As a woman, what works for and against you in the film industry? Also, for those who are from outside the industry, what are the pros and cons of being a woman? What kind of discrimination do women face, the inequality in wages...?
Sona Mohapatra: I grew up in an environment where I wasn't treated differently because of my gender. I do come from an army background where it is all about fighting, changing and adapting and being yourself. My individuality was celebrated, but it was during my student days at an engineering college that I started getting aware of the fact that I have a different body. It went to the extent that I was told how I should wear my dupatta. The fact that I wore my watch on the right hand, instead of the left, became an issue. I later went to host business shows on television and I was immediately labelled as someone who is sleeping around. In a small town, doing anything associated with the glamour world involves a lot of graffiti on the walls. You have to deal with the fact that you have probably gotten there because you are only doing XYZ things so those insinuations start. I went on to do an MBA, then picked up a job in the FMCG industry which is testosterone driven. You don't have women heading sales teams and you get by only gaali-galoch (abusing) and that's how you show you can head a team of 100 people who go out to sell 'tel' and 'sabun'. Later, I decided to turn to singing. The stage was my dream. You have to come across as someone who is amicable, blends in, doesn't have a point of view and definitely has no personality. We will put you in your place — in general there is the caste system. It's strange because it's something I couldn't decipher. I had grown up thinking naively it's a beautiful world. It's for you to make your place. I think everybody will have his or her own story, but the good part about this is that we are living in interesting times. Even as a musician, it's not the be-all and end-all of life. We used to celebrate the female perspective more so in the past decades, we seem to have regressed now.


From left: Richa Chadha, Pooja Bhatt, Guneet Monga, Shonali Bose, Kalki Koechlin, Kausar Munir and Shilpa Shukla. Pics/ Rane Ashish 

Q. Kausar, as a lyricist in a male dominated industry, did you face any issues?
Kausar Munir: Usually people attribute success to luck, but I feel there is a sense of change and of acceptance. I feel it is on the basis of merit. You are getting work irrespective of gender, but there is a sense of tentativeness when the job is given to you with a disclaimer that if you are not able to do it... it be passed on to somebody else. It means do the job well. I have also seen the flipside of it, where I have been rewarded with the faith being returned and working on more projects with the same people. Writers are at the bottom of the barrel — whether you are a man or woman. You are putting on paper what is going to be shown on screen, but your point of view is least important. You have to make your way in trying to prove that you can do it well and do it without creating any trouble. It is not that there is no light at the end of the tunnel — there is. Largely, my experience has been good. I lack the killer instinct of writing every film and that I should get more and more films. So in some ways that helps.