On this episode of 'The Way We Were', Reema looks back on 2024 - the year of gentlewomen. The triumphs of Payal Kapadia  and Kiran Rao created space for cinema without male aggression. 

'Laapataa Ladies' garnered a record 13.8 million views on Netflix  and toppled  'Animal' in viewership ratings on Netflix, and blockbusters like 'Stree 2' and 'Kalki ' had women at the heart of their narratives. 

What set 'All We Imagine as Light' and 'Laapata  Ladies' apart was an emphasis on kindness and humanism at a time when performative cruelty and violence run rampant in cinema, OTT shows and politics around the world.

The  misogyny  that you once saw in  crime shows, oozing  from the rancid mouths of criminals, is now loud and proud. Post the US elections, two men walked onto a Texas university campus with signs that read: "Women are property".  

They did so because they felt empowered by the triumph of a candidate who has been accused of sexual assault; a candidate who went on to be elected twice over to the highest seat of power in the US. 

So, the question is how did we get here?

The recent incidents involving a self styled mobster and Salman Khan are indicative of just how easy it is to target the industry - sometimes for money and sometimes for notoriety that is mistaken as fame.

One thing, however, is very clear.

The line between good and evil has been blurred decisively, on the screen and off it.

The three-part documentary, 'Angry Young Men- The Salim Javed Story' (Amazon Prime Video) affords us an intimate glimpse into the homes and family dynamics, of Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, positioning them as the only definitive voices of Hindi cinema. 

But let's not forget the other writers who came before them. Writers like Rajinder Singh Bedi, Abrar Alvi, Khwaja Ahmed Abbas and Rahi Masoom Raza who not only enriched Hindi cinema but also gave us a nuanced vocabulary to discuss love, loss, injustice and human values.

The message is clear - women are disposable; even in fiction. 

Most crime shows open with the dead body of a woman. Extending that list are hugely popular shows on serial killers who target women. There are multiple documentaries and shows, for example, on Ted Bundy. Everyone remembers him. Nobody remembers his victims.

Rarely though, some films and shows get it right. Dijo Jose Antony's 2022 film "Jana Gana Mana" delves into not just a gender crime but the reasons behind it. And, the 2019 Netflix drama "Unbelievable" got women right, too. One of its most insightful lines was “Rape has three crime scenes. The body of the victim. The body of the rapist. And the place where the crime actually happens.” 

The series also adds another crime scene to the list without naming it - the mind of the victim. Against which, a cruel warfare is waged by a brutal, desensitised justice system. On this episode of 'The Way We Were', we explore.

TW: This episode contains references to rape and sexual violence against women.

Relentless wars, famine, extreme weather events, falling bridges and surprising election results in major democracies. 

Are we seeing the emergence of a new world order? 

Is there any difference in the way we were and the way we are?  

Do we truly learn from the past?

The 1961 Academy Award-winning film, 'Judgment at Nuremberg' is not just about the aftermath of the Holocaust but the reasons for a total loss of empathy; a cautionary tale for all democracies. And the harm propaganda can unleash upon millions of lives. 

This year history was made when filmmaker Payal Kapadia became the first person from India to clinch the prestigious Grand Prix at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. In 1946, Neecha Nagar by Chetan Anand, had also shared top honours at the first Cannes Film Festival and  pioneered  social realism in Indian cinema. 

From what we know, Payal's film also furthers this engagement with lived realities of the unseen and the unheard. Cannes this year also screened a gloriously restored 1976 Shyam Benegal classic 'Manthan', reminding us once again just how intentional and socially responsible our cinema used to be.

Laapataa Ladies' title is perhaps  indicative of the absence of women in male-centric mainstream entertainment. Of women who are not just decorative, pliant, seductive or suffering endlessly to justify their prominence in a narrative. If you want to see how differently men and women portray female characters , watch Imtiaz Ali's 'She' and Maria Schrader's 'She Said.' The woman in 'She' is a manipulated, sexualised, brutalised being who finds her power in seduction and 'She Said' is the real story of two mothers/journalists who together ended Harvey Weinstein's reign of horror and abuse.

'Laapataa Ladies' is also path breaking in its intention to portray 'ordinary' women as heroic. They don't have to go through great degradation, oppression and pain in order to qualify for greatness. They are not sacrificial mothers, avenging angels, preoccupied with men or children. Feminism here is articulated by women as the freedom to be who they truly are. Unlike Bhansali's cinema where feminine suffering is endlessly glorified.

Deepa Bhatia's insightful Amazon Prime series 'First Act' is not an easy watch, especially if you are a parent. But it lays bare before you just how twisted the pursuit of fame can be and how cruel it is to children who are denied the simple luxury of childhood and the joy of playing with blocks without being interrupted.

2023 was the year of SRK. He started it with 'Pathaan', and followed it up in September with 'Jawaan', both members of the 1000 crore club. With his third film 'Dunki', set for release on December 21st, he may just put a massive bow on what promises to be his most successful year in show business. 

At the age of 58, he has reinvented himself as an action hero who, unlike 'Animal's' heedless killing machine, has a larger purpose. To save the idea of India perhaps? Or remind us that we are more than our differences? 

On this episode of 'The Way We Were', host Reema Moudgil explores King Khan's real superpower - bringing people together like no one else can.