Penguin Releases Changemakers : TWENTY WOMEN TRANSFORMING BOLLYWOOD BEHIND THE SCENES By GAYATRI RANGACHARI SHAH & MALLIKA KAPUR.
Since Bollywood’s earliest days, women have played a part in its success, both in front of the camera and away from it. Yet it has taken more than half a century for women to assert their presence in significant numbers in Bollywood. Today, Hindi cinema relies on a record number of women who work tirelessly, sometimes invisibly, to keep the world’s largest dream factory buzzing.
This book tells the story of twenty incredible women, many with no prior “connections” in the industry, who have carved successful careers despite significant challenges. They often work away from the public gaze- as studio heads, producers, directors, makeup artists, stylists, script writers, lyricists, editors, choreographers, stunt artists, set designers, and in the many other jobs that support the making of a movie. These women deserve to be applauded and their voices amplified, as they transform Bollywood and in the process, create a new India.
They are inspiring. They are determined. They are Changemakers.
“Changemakers takes a look at some of Bollywood’s biggest trailblazers – women who’ve chipped away at a boys club and made it a better place for all. An excellent, important read at this point in India’s history.”
— Anil Kapoor, Actor
“Changemakers is a wonderful and timely book you don’t want to miss! Gayatri and Mallika’s writing is sharp and insightful and paints sensitive portraits of 20 inspiring women’s lives. This book tracks the professionalization that is transforming Bollywood and our films as a result. A book about story tellers, written by ace story tellers!”
— Farah Khan, Director
“Changemakers is a fascinating story of hope and optimism in an industry that is still playing catch-up on the most important conversations of our time. Mallika and Gayatri bring alive the stories of 20 amazing and spunky women who have redefined all the rules of the Bollywood Game. The book is a riveting deep dive into their journeys and the barriers they pulled down along the way. A Must Read.”
— Barkha Dutt, Journalist
“This riveting look at the female powerhouses of Bollywood is long overdue. It brings alive the creativity and tenacity of the women behind India’s entertainment juggernaut that shapes culture and mints money.”
– Tina Brown, award winning journalist, editor, author and founder of the Women in the World Summit
The Authors:
Gayatri Rangachari Shah is a journalist and columnist whose work has appeared in both national and international publications like The New York Times. She has a fortnightly column, Flight of Fancy, in The Hindu. She is a contributing editor at Vogue and Architectural Digest and India Head at Tina Brown Live Media, which produces the globally renowned journalism summit Women in the World. Gayatri covers a variety of subjects, including culture, gender, design, and education and has profiled leading personalities around the world. She is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. She lives in Mumbai with her husband and two children.
Mallika Kapur is an international news journalist. She is currently a Senior Editor at Bloomberg Live, APAC. In her 20 year career that spans three countries, she has been a producer, anchor and correspondent for CNN in London, Mumbai and Hong Kong. She has reported extensively on key economic, political, social and gender issues in India and covered some of Asia’s biggest breaking news stories for the network. She has also anchored business news shows and hosted long form feature programs. Mallika attended Brown University and Columbia’s University’s Graduate School of Journalism. She resides in Hong Kong with her husband and two children.
