Passionate and Fearless, Trailblaber Zoya Aggarwal Knew She was Born to Fly

While for many, the sky is the limit, Zoya Aggarwal dreamed of conquering the skies. She knew she was born to fly and expressed her desire to become a pilot to her family who was taken aback and unrelenting. She was born at a time when girls in India were expected to get married, have children, and look after their families. It was no wonder then that when Zoya made up her mind to become a pilot, her mother cried and asked her to find a suitable husband instead. Aggarwal went on to have a distinguished career after receiving her license in 2004. Last year, she inaugurated the longest non-stop Indian commercial flight with an all-female crew. She was honored on national television during India's Republic Day celebrations after piloting the 17-hour San Francisco to Bangalore route. She also became a spokesperson for the UN agency for women. Perseverance is the key to success. Impressed by her determination after years of trying to dissuade her, her parents surprised her by agreeing to pay for her flight training. Aggarwal, who has the words "Born to Fly" tattooed on her shoulder blade, was one of only a "small handful" of female pilots when she started flying for Air India, the national carrier. She knew she was paving the way for the future of women in aviation in India. According to the International Society of Women Airline Pilots, India is now the country with the highest rate of female pilots.  

Offbeat Women Directors in Indian Cinema

The women directors in Indian cinema have created some of the finest films over the years. They have gone out of the way and taken creative freedom to come out with films on the offbeat topics. What’s more, some these films went on to win critical acclaim not only on national but on international circuit and bagged awards, too.   Mira Nair Mira Nair is the internationally recognized woman director renowned for depicting touching human stories on silver screen.  Her first film 'Salaam Bombay', was critically acclaimed on international circuit. This followed by films including 'Namesake' and 'Monsoon Wedding' which were well received. Sai Paranjpye The audiences liked Sai Paranjpye’s films as these were simple and fresh.  Sai made films like 'Sparsh' which won National Awards and three Filmfare Awards. Her film  'Chashme Baddoor' is  a classic comedy which is loved even to this day. Sai created musical film 'Saaz' in 1997. This film starred  famous  tabla artist Ustad Zakir Hussain. Sai received  Padma Bhushan Award for her contribution to cinema Deepa Mehta Deepa Mehta is an Indo-Canadian filmmaker. She made films on controversial  subjects like homosexuality, which was considered a daring attempt. Her films included 'Earth', 'Water', and 'Fire.'  The way she presented her subjects is appreciable. Mehta  has received international recognition, too. Her films  '1947 Earth' and 'Water' were  in the fray  to be nominated for the Oscar awards.  Aparna Sen Apana Sen is a prominent  Bengali  actress and director. She acted in several hit Bengali films and some Hindi films as well, in a career spanning several decades. When she started directing the films, the masterpieces like ‘36 Chowringhee Lane', 'The Japanese Wife', 'Mr. and Mrs. Iyer', 'Goynar Baksho' and 'Iti Mrinalini' were appreciated by the audiences. Sen received the Best Director award at the Indian National Film Awards for ‘36 Chowringhee Lane.’ This film won the Golden Eagle award at the Manila International Film Festival, too. Kalpana Lajmi Kalpana Lajmi's  is daughter of painter Lalita Lajmi and niece of actor-director Guru Dutt. Lajmi created several films including  'Rudaali'. The film  starred  Dimple Kapadia who received the National Film Award for Best Actress and a Filmfare Award. Lajmi  also made  'Daman', which starred  Raveena Tandon, who won a National Award for her role, too.  Lajmi is liked by both the audiences and critics alike for her approach to women empowerment through films. Leena Yadav Leena Yadav made film, ‘Shabd,’ which was critically acclaimed. Later, she created film ‘Teen Patti’ starring  Amitabh Bachchan and Oscar winner actor Ben Kingsley and several others. Leena is open to take challenges and risks in films. Reema Kagti Reema Kagti  made offbeat film ‘Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd’. Later she made ‘ Talaash’ starring Aamir Khan, Rani Mukherjee and Kareena Kapur, which turned out to be a blockbuster . It was a hit at the box office, too. Reema  pulls off sudden twists in her films and the audience keeps on asking for more. Zoya Akhtar Zoya is daughter of noted film writer and lyricist Javed Akhtar, but has made her mark in her own right as a film director and screenwriter. She made ‘Luck By Chance’ . She directed commercially successful film ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara ‘ for which she won the Filmfare Award for Best Director. Rajshree Ojha Rajshree Ojha  created  commercially successful  film ‘ Aisha,’ starring  actress Sonam Kapoor. Her hallmarks are realist narration of story and honesty. She made ‘Chaurahen,’ too. Rajshree’s  creations  portray real life characters and human relationships on  the silver screen. These are but only a few of many talented woman directors who made their mark in Indian cinema and there are definitely many able and competent ones whose names deserve mention and acclaim. It is important to note here that their work is respected for their talented filmmaking and not just because they happen to be female directors.