Mumbai: Sony Pictures Networks India’s Distribution division commemorated Women’s Day quite differently this year, not the usual run-of-the-mill celebrations that one witnesses. They hosted a panel discussion that comprised a diverse mix of women from different walks of life who have excelled in industries and largely male-dominated roles.
Makarand Palekar, EVP Distribution Sales and Marketing welcomed the panellists and applauded them for the significant roles they play in the success of a company. He cited examples of how his life has been positively influenced by powerful women, both in his personal and professional life.
The three panellists Jamie Lever (Daughter of Johnny Lever, a well-known Indian actor and comedian), Dr. Akshata Narain (Group President AM Television Pvt. Ltd. (AXOM)) and Dr. Nirmala Kotnis (Former Indian Badminton Player and Lead Operations at Padukone Sports Management Academy) shared their journey, experiences and insights with the hosts Indranil Basu (sports journalist) and Subhasri Prasad, Head Marketing, Sony Pictures Networks Distribution.
Jamie Lever, a Graduate in Media Studies and daughter of the renowned actor–comedian Johnny Lever, decided to quit her illustrious job in the corporate world to become a stand-up comedian. She started her on-screen career with ‘Comedy Circus’ on Sony Entertainment Television, where she further polished nuances of mimicry on the show. Today she is a well-known comedian and one of the most prominent young female comedy artists with a cult fan following.
Dr. Akshata Narain, Group President AM Television, a dentist by profession is now one of the leading women leaders in the news television business in the northeast.
Dr. Nirmala Kotnis, a former international badminton player, an ex-Income Tax Commissioner and a Marathi theatre artist, is now heading Operations at The Padukone Sports academy.
All three of them are leaders in their respective domain, which at one point in time was primarily considered “a man’s job”. When ‘Equitable Opportunities’ are available to a person – irrespective of their gender, it is purely the person’s inherent skill, passion and commitment which can help them accomplish and excel in their path to their dreams.
Jamie spoke about how tough it was for her in the industry despite being the daughter of a well-known Comedian, it did not open doors for her, and she had to work as hard as any other person in the field. For Dr. Akshata, taking over the reins from her father and running a news channel and the other operations was not easy since the cable business is male dominated. But she crossed all the hurdles and today is a name to reckon with in the northeast. Dr. Nirmala, on the other hand had to quit her job as an Income Tax Commissioner and moved to Nasik to pursue her first love- Badminton. She now leads operations at the Padukone Sports Academy, and she is the first female commentator for the sport, besides juggling her role as an actor in Marathi theatre and films.
On the topic of equity being discussed, Dr. Akshata said “let us not talk about a woman being better than a man or we need to be like men. These are terminologies which do not make sense now. What I believe is that there are jobs in which a man can do way better than a woman and vice versa, it depends on the caliber and not gender, so it is all about getting an equal opportunity… This long-drawn fight in chasing gender equality has derailed the pursuit of equity. This is something that I have always believed in even while growing up. This is my life’s motto; I am someone who believes in change and change is the only constant thing in life and I work towards it day and night.”
She further elaborated, “I know I am privileged, and I want to use this to make a change in my state in whatever little way I can. The television business I am in is an immensely powerful medium to amplify the message I want to tell the world. The first project I worked on was gender equality which also included the LGBTQ+community and giving them equal opportunity in the workspace. I truly believe that television is a change maker, and I believe that ‘one must be the change you want to see in the world’.
“All the work I do on mental health awareness or gender equality or environmental issues in my state using the privilege I have, is to be the voice of anybody who needs the support and the opportunity to come up in life. In this male-dominated industry when I first joined it was difficult, nobody wanted a young girl as their boss. We had produced a few policies to give women space, but it did not go down well. The person who stood behind me was our then Chief Editor Ajit Kumar Bhuyan. This is a beautiful example that it is not just women who uplift women, but at times men also play a key role, and that is commendable.”
Expressing her views, Jamie added, “Today in the entertainment field, age does not matter, and women actors in their 50’s are getting meaty roles and the industry has become open and letting a woman take charge. Today, what matters is being a good actor and if you have the talent, then looks and body shape do not matter. You are cast for a particular role because it fits you. It is an exciting time for us as women in the industry and today female comedians are not typecast the way they used to be then. Today everyone wants to hear what we say, the audiences are open to it.”
When asked by Subhasri Prasad, about women balancing multiple roles and if a woman needs to be a Superwoman,
Dr. Nirmala said that it just happened to her. She went through a difficult pregnancy and at that time her mother was her pillar of strength, but she passed away in February 2018. She had twins to look after and was working at the Income Tax office in Mumbai. “I went through a tough time as I was denied leave and other privileges. I had to knock on many doors and finally, the Chief Commissioner, who was a mentor and who motivated me to be who I am, helped me to take leave for two years at one go.”. My husband was posted in Chennai, I had to look after the babies and I am not someone who can sit idle, opportunities landed, and I decided to take it up. I had to do my motherly duties of looking after my kids, but badminton is my passion and my first love, at the same time acting also happened. I have always taken up challenges and I love every bit of what I am doing, and I am happy doing it. So, it comes naturally to me.”
Akshata said, “The definition of a superwoman or superhero from the days gone by has to change. Who decides these things? Everyone in their own way is a superhero. At the end of the day, we need to do what makes us happy.” She went on to add, “One needs to be happy with oneself, and happy about the work one does before imposing yourself on a partner. If you are not happy then eventually the relationship will never work. If you are self-sufficient and happy, your partner will be happier.”
On the question of what change one would want to see to bring equity to their respective fields and the societal mind-set.
Dr. Nirmala said “When it comes to sports like badminton, by the time the girls reach the senior level, many of them drop out. We all talk about equality and things but there is a major gap between the male and female players. There was one Saina and now there is one Sindhu. We find that a lot of the girl talent gets filtered. Most parents of girls come with a motive that by participating and winning a few nationals they would get a job in the Govt. Also, on the question of price money, there is a stark difference. If we are talking about equity this discrimination needs to go and my one piece of advice to parents is, please come up with a different mind-set.”
Sharing her journey as a woman content creator for the past 10-11 years, Jamie Lever pointed out that girls must deal with inherent biases that are entwined so deeply in our society. Jamie recalled how growing up as a kid, she was encouraged to pick cliched’ women centric career options like jewellery or fashion designing.
Akshata spoke about coming from a Tier 2 metro, where the values are different and what is lacking is content that represents women in a strong role. There are stories of strong women in the north-east which have not been represented in the mainstream media. “I feel that as organisations we should have taken it upon ourselves to tell these stories earlier so we would have been represented well.”
“I would like to change this and bring out content where women are portrayed as strong characters and be an inspiration as television reaches the grass root audience. I would like to change the content being made for TV, OTT, and films; all from the north-east. We are coming out with more women-oriented and women-centric content in Assamese so that it reaches out to more people and changes their perception.
She further added that “As women, whether it is Jamie, Nirmala or me who have influence, we should use our platforms to educate people in the rural and semi-urban areas where girls are held back. There is a need to get their education supported. Also, it is a message that education only grooms you to be a better person but what you pursue in your life is your own and your need to follow your passion and stand up for it.”
The panel discussion was free flowing and insightful wherein we witnessed not just the grit and passion of the speakers but also, they let loose their fun side especially Jamie and Nirmala, which brings me to another point about women, efficiently juggling multiple roles, great at multi-tasking. Wait! Are we getting into cliches again? Better not!
