Saturday, 19 May 2012 21:58

Written by Navid Iqbal

Number of movies which includes female leading roles has increased in recent times. Such as “twilight” and “the Help” are a few names that come right to our mind. “Twilight” is an American vampire love story movie which was released back in 2008, starring Kristen Stewart as the leading actress and Robert Pattinson as the hero. This movie portrays how a teenage girl (Kristen Stewart) falls in love with a vampire (Robert Pattinson) and how the vampire family tries to save Kristen from the evil vampires. Also the movie “The Help” which is a drama movie, an adaptation of a novel of the same title, released back in 2011. This movie is about a white woman who was a young journalist (Eugenia Phelan) and who decided to write down a controversial book which portrayed the racism two maids faced while working with white families back in the early 60’s in America.

These days the difference in the female appearances in the top movies are very evident compared to that of in movies even a decade ago.  As per a report being done at the San Diego State University, there are now more female actresses or heroines appearing or even leading in the best or top hundred domestic money making or grossing movies of 2011.

Though it is the news or report that calls for celebration but actresses or heroines should also know the fact that still their male co workers or associates get to play the roles with better caliber. Considering the record of 2002, the appearance or representation of female leading roles in the highest grossing movies in the US only enhanced by a five percent. Female actors still signify presently only one third of the total characters in the previous year's most revenue-earning movies.

Martha Lauzen, who is the report’s author and executive director of the centre for female or women in TV expressed that she was very cheered and inspired by the fact that the percentage increased, although the rise is very small but any rise inspires her since according to her the film industry is absolutely dead set against any kind of changes. Lauzen informed that the female actor figures or numbers in the film industry remained almost the same from the 40’s till the beginning of the 2000 or so and therefore the little rise in the roles for the females are rather noteworthy and appreciable. But all the parts were not brilliant though. It was like men doing almost all the job and hardworking and challenging roles compared to women. To be cynical, referring that in “Twilight” only the werewolves and the vampires fought and Bella did almost nothing.

According to the report female actors were given fewer opportunities to portray themselves as leaders compared to male actors. And the statistics is males’ play eighty six percent of the roles for leaders but female actors symbolize a small fourteen percent in the last year. It is also reported that most of these movies are portrayed from male perspective and this tendency is increasing and becoming evident these days. Also female characters are almost always younger than their male associates in the movies. This is probably because they are not given much powerful roles and therefore given a younger age. Also the percent of playing leading roles came down from sixteen percent to eleven percent in 2011 compared to 2002. But it is expected that this situation will improve this year because the “the Hunger Games” which has the female central character earned good revenue. This summer also releases two movies with combatant princesses in the “Brave” and the “Snow White and the Huntsman”. Therefore Lauzen is expecting to see a change in the female leading role scenario.