The head of India Originals at Amazon Prime Video, Aparna Purohit, believes being able to challenge gender norms through thought-provoking, women-oriented narratives is powerful to her as a leader. “(Being) mindful and conscious, and continuously working towards building a more inclusive and equitable ecosystem, which is free of biases, where opportunities are given equally to all. That is a power to me,” she says. Purohit highlights the lack of narratives centred around women or stories told from women's perspectives in the media. And it’s not just lip service. Three new Original titles announced by the streaming service recently – Maja Ma (Hindi), Ammu (Telugu) and Aye Watan…Mere Watan (also in Hindi) are all led by women protagonists. Purohit says the streaming service is seeking out stories that amplify voices “across race, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, body size, gender, gender identity, and gender expression for our diverse set of viewers”.
