The Kareena Kapoor Khan, Tabu, and Kriti Sanon-led heist comedy movie ‘Crew’ was released on March 29, 2024. It has become the highest opening day-grossing women-led Bollywood film ever, with a domestic and global collection of over Rs 9 crore and Rs 20 crore, respectively.
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Women-Centric Movies And Box Office Collections
Women-centric movies, no matter how good a story they have to tell, are ill-fated and tend to do below average at the box office. A large portion of the audience still finds pleasure in watching the stereotypical action hero who saves the damsel in distress while there is no appreciation for a strong female character who can navigate through her life without anyone’s support.
The Alia Bhatt starrer ‘Raazi’ went on to become highly acclaimed but earned only a little over Rs 7 crore domestically on its opening day, while the Sridevi-led ‘English Vinglish’ collected about Rs 2.5 crore. Further, some movies did not even get a box office release like ‘Qala’, ‘Darlings’, and ‘Bulbbul’ – all three with terrific storytelling.
However, when it comes to a male-led Bollywood movie, especially one of the Khans, the films tend to fetch over Rs 75 crore, as we can see based on the opening-day domestic collection of ‘Jawan’. This was a record-breaking figure as well, however, the striking difference between ‘Jawan’s’ and ‘Crew’s’ collections narrates an alarming saga of its own.
Evolution Of Bollywood’s Female Characters
In a country where women are worshipped as Goddesses, it is shocking to encounter a gut-wrenching attitude towards them; some movies have been fueling such misogynistic behaviour for ages. The issue is not limited to violence against women but also how they are used as bait and side characters, dancers in item numbers, and are given a negligible space in movie posters. Even in modern-day movies like ‘Animal’, ‘Kabir Singh’, ‘Dabangg’ series and ‘Raees’, women are presented as fragile or are limited to trivial roles.
However, after Bollywood’s first women-centric movie ‘Mother India’, the scenario has been altered to some extent as now we have critically acclaimed movies like ‘Kahaani’, ‘Piku’, ‘Neerja’, ‘Queen’, and ‘English Vinglish’. Additionally, movies like ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’, ‘Mirch Masala’, ‘Thappad’, and ‘Bandit Queen’ have sparked controversies regarding the transparent portrayal of women in society.
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Even though these movies are now capturing a wider audience, there is still a long way ahead. If you liked this story, stay tuned to HerZindagi for more!
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