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Prime Video’s Maitri: Female First Collective Hosts its First Session in Chennai Maitri Female First Collective - 16x9.jpg The session featured 8 strong women who represented India’s multiple entertainment industries, from award-winning actors like Aishwarya Rajesh, Malavika Mohanan, Madhoo, and behind-the-scenes talent like Reshma Ghatala, Swathi Raghuraaman, Yamini Yagnamurty, to creative leaders like Aparna Purohit and moderator Smriti Kiran The current session took an in-depth look at the evolution of female representation and participation in entertainment industries across the country, evaluating the various mechanisms adopted to create a more inclusive and equitable environment for women Highlights from the latest session are now available on Maitri’s YouTube channel MUMBAI, India – 6 July, 2023 – Prime Video, India’s most-loved entertainment destination, today released the latest session of Maitri: Female First Collective, hosting its maiden discussion in Chennai. Launched last year, the collective is an endeavour to create a safe space where women from the Indian media and entertainment industry can come together to discuss their experiences, challenges and successes, and offer their perspective on bringing about a positive shift. The session featured 8 eminent women from India’s various entertainment industries, ranging from award-winning prolific actors who have worked across languages like Malavika Mohanan, Aishwarya Rajesh and Madhoo, to women who have left an indelible mark behind the camera, like creator, writer, showrunner & producer Reshma Ghatala, writer & director Swathi Raghuraaman, and cinematographer Yamini Yagnamurthy, in addition to Aparna Purohit, creator – Maitri & head of India Originals, Prime Video, and Smriti Kiran, creator and curator of Maitri & founder, Polka Dots LightBox. Watch the latest session of Maitri: Female First Collective here - https://bit.ly/44vDIuJ Sharing personal anecdotes, the participants discussed the existing gender dynamics in the film industry, the challenges faced by female professionals, including stereotyping, colourism, ageism, and much more. Surprisingly, the women noted how the issues were similar irrespective of whether they worked in front of the camera or behind it, or whether they worked in production or corporate roles. The core discussion also touched upon the true essence of feminism and empowerment, what gender-equality really means for the trailblazers gathered in the room. An interesting insight that was shared by all was that true equality can be achieved when the industry stops tagging a particular role, a narrative or a job as woman-oriented or male-oriented. The group as a whole agreed that age-old conditioning often restricts the personal and professional growth potential of women, and can be changed only if it is internalized in one’s home and social environment. The interaction also highlighted the critical role that streaming was playing in improving female representation, creating new opportunities for actors, regardless of their age, body size, or skin colour, and for creators to tell all kinds of unique stories. “Equitable representation opens up a new world for young girls to draw inspiration from, making it all the more important to have women in positions of influence, where they can provide a platform for newer voices and open up doors for more women,” said Aparna Purohit, creator – Maitri & head of India Originals, Prime Video. “However, we know that change is a gradual process. It is, therefore, important for us to continue having these discussions across the country, and we are thrilled to have hosted our first session in Chennai. Even though it is only a year old, Maitri has managed to drive change in the right direction. It is heartening to see people having a conversation about diversity, equity and inclusion when writing or planning their projects.”