"I don't think most filmmakers have either the passion or the sensitivity to make the type of cinema like the greats of yesteryear. Earlier issues discussed in cinema were far more relevant to the woman than today. Also, for most producers, woman as a hero is an alien concept. Bandini, Mai Tulsi, Saraswati Chandra, even films like Koshish and Chupke Chupke had woman on equal standing as men, says Rahul Dholakia, winner of Best Director honour at the 53rd National Awards for the film Parzania.

"Hindi Cinema still caters to male chauvinism and their egos. This is changing but at a slow pace. I think we still are not writing scripts that are heroine centric or subjects where the heroine is the protagonist," he adds.

Los Angeles-based director Dholakia, whose first film Kehta Hai Dil Baar Baar was a complete washout, got rave reviews for his next film Parzania based on the story of a family ravaged by the Gujarat riots. The leading actress Sarika, also won National Award for best actress for the film.

Dholakia says that the slump in the women oriented roles has a lot to do with makers' imagination and lack of original ideas. "Most makers today are more concerned with how hot their heroine looks rather than how powerful her character is; Its almost as if cinema is nothing more than a trailer and a poster."

"Most of the scripts are rip offs of foreign DVD. And unfortunately by ripping of DVDs, we can get great plot points and story ideas, but can't incorporate our ethos and identity.

This has to be original and for most writers, the women character does not figure very high on that list."

However, he adds that the new breed of directors is experimenting with new ideas and to some extent giving more importance to female roles. "In some of the films like Zindaggi Rocks, Aaja Nachle, Jodha-Akbar, Laga Chunari Me Daag and Chak De, stories were built around female characters. But the number still is minimal," he says.

Last year, Yash Raj Films, the biggest film production company in India, produced two women centric films, Laaga Chunri Mein Daag and Aaja Nachle but Dholakia thinks that the larger budget films and film houses are more emphasizing on making formula films than the real one.

"Their heroines are conservative, not in clothes, but in thoughts. Today the Indian woman has gone into space but the woman in Indian Cinema are still struggling for space," he says.

Disclosing the fact that even some of the top Bollywood actresses do not want to do films based on social issues, he says, "I had written a script with a very strong character for a woman, but a few top actresses turned it down, they would prefer playing a small flimsy part in a big film rather than take the responsibility of the film on their shoulders."

"Sadly its coming down to packaging, and so in the desire to make the project box office viable, both actors and filmmakers have forgotten to take risk".