When one woman empowers another, they open the door for ten more: Guneet Monga

The e4m Play Streaming Summit & Awards saw an engaging discussion between Guneet Monga, Indian film Producer and Ruchika Kapoor Sheikh which was moderated by Zaarra Khader, Motion Content Group. The speakers shared insights on the topic: Indian Women Rising.

As a young girl growing up in New Delhi, Guneet Monga wanted to be a part of the Indian entertainment industry but she wanted to be neither an actress nor a showstopper. Today, we see her movies but we know little about her journey. Monga is undoubtedly the finest film producers that the Hindi film industry has today. At the Summit, Monga opened up about her journey and how, as a woman, she made it as the most successful female film producer representing Indian cinema globally.

“I came to Mumbai in 2006 and like everyone stood in front of Mannat and said that one day the city will also know my name. Today, I am just grateful that my work has tracked, people have seen the films and given great feedback, globally. But it has been a journey of ups and downs and a journey of constant hustle. I think that the journey you do from your 20s to your 30s matter. SO, here I am, arriving in Mumbai in 2006 and making a bunch of movies that did well”, Monga said.

The topic ‘Indian Women Rising’ also happens to be the name of the cinema collective that was launched by Monga along with fellow women producers like Tahira Kashyap and Ekta Kapoor to support and empower Indian female talent in the film industry. According to Monga, Indian Women Rising is similar to somebody paving the path for her and as she goes along, she needs to do the same for other women to come and be able to tell their stories.

Speaking of women with a dream of making it big in the content and entertainment industry, Monga noted, “What I want to say here is that a short film for which I was the executive producer – Period. End of Sentence – won an Oscar in 2019. But the journey of that film really enforced that actually, when one woman empowers another, they open the door for ten more. And it is magical to run life like a relay. It is actually on us, on how we talk about each other in rooms where we are not there.”

Khader pointed out that women deserve to tell positive stories and that “diversity and inclusivity should not be the HR jargon but should be translated into communication, content and stories, along with one's thoughts and actions”. She asked Monga about the opportunities that she wants to create through the platform.

Monga replied, “We are just getting started. We only came together for Indian Women Rising last year. We have always felt the need to share our knowledge. The decade and a half that I have spent in the industry and the wisdom that I have gained and the self-doubt that I have come across – I feel the need to talk about it to the younger lot coming into the industry This industry is beautiful – it is extremely well-read and filled with amazing people ready to tell stories and empower each other. So we decided to make it easier for the new generation.”

Monga also highlighted the reason behind setting up Indian Women Rising. “The reason for us to come together was the basic stats. There is less than five percent of women who are directors. The minute that stat hits you, it makes you think that we can do better. At least in the position of producing or being marketers, in the position of financing. We can definitely internalise these basic stats and try to do our bit because why not?”, she said.