‘Women-oriented’ is a sexist term, says Aditi

Women-centric films such as Rangoon, Naam Shabana, and Begum Jaan have created a lot of buzz in the days before and after their recent release, but actor Adito Rao Hydari is not pleased with the term ‘women-centric’ or ‘womenoriented’ and feels that it reeks of sexism.

“Women-oriented cinema... this phrase needs to die out, because people don’t say hero oriented, child-oriented or dog-oriented. A film is a story about people. That person can be a girl, a boy or anybody. Why are we always classist, sexist, or gender-biased? We don’t need to hear these things,” says Aditi. The actor was recently named Youth Icon of the Decade at the Women of the Decade awards, given by the Women Economic Forum in New Delhi.

While many speak of women-oriented cinema as a trend, Aditi says that giving women sufficient space in films should not be something that comes and goes with time. “It’s not a trend. A trend comes and goes, but stories are here forever. People and feelings are here forever. It’s really not about [a] trend. I hope that women being given the limelight remains forever,” she says.

PHOTO: YOGEN SHAH