Filmmaker Payal Kapadia, whose critically acclaimed film ‘All We Imagine as Light’ has garnered significant attention, has spoken out about the portrayal of women in media.

She highlighted the often one-dimensional representation of women, shaped by the male gaze, which she believes sets unrealistic societal standards.

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Payal Kapadia explained, “The representation of women in the media is so one-dimensional, often shaped by a male gaze. Even something as simple as waxing ads, where women are portrayed without hair, reflects these unrealistic beauty standards.”

She went on to say that in her film, the focus was on authenticity, aiming to portray women as they are in real life, rather than conforming to societal expectations. “We wanted to step away from that and just be ourselves, true to how we are in everyday life,” she added.

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She also pointed out the impact of perspective on how women are portrayed. “It’s about whose gaze is at the center of the narrative,” Kapadia noted.

For example, in the film, when the character Anu is in the city, everything appears romantic and idealized. However, when the character Prabha is shown, the same environment looks completely ordinary.

“The lens changes everything,” she explained.

Kapadia’s ‘All We Imagine as Light’ has received widespread acclaim, earning a Critics Choice Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film and making history with a Golden Globe nomination for Best Director in Motion Picture, making her the first-ever Indian woman to be nominated in this category. The film also won Best Film Not in the English Language at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association awards.

The film, which stars Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, and Chhaya Kadam, delves into themes of female friendship, individuality, and resistance against patriarchy and the male gaze.

This Indo-French co-production between Petit Chaos (France) and Chalk & Cheese and Another Birth (India) is being distributed in India by Spirit Media.

Earlier, Kapadia praised Chhaya Kadam for her powerful performance in the film. “Chhaya brings her own lyricism to the dialogues and improvises to make them sharper and better,” Kapadia said.