‘WHEN IT COMES TO FEMALE SEXUALITY, IT’S ALL HUSH-HUSH’
And suppressed Aditi Pohankar calls out the veiled representation of female desire on screen
When it comes to female representation on screen, a lot has changed. But Aditi Pohankar feels there is still some inhibition around the subject of female sexuality. The actor, who plays the protagonist in the web series, She, says she is glad to be a part of a project which does not shy away from the same.
“The show has always been more about a woman expressing or realising her power, more than sexual awakening. I feel, when you’re not scared of being a woman, that’s [when] true empowerment [takes place]. Till now, we have been suppressing our own sexuality, our own being as women. Everything’s very hush-hush when it comes to female sexuality. However, the same is not the case for men,” Pohankar says.
Elaborating on how the portrayal differs when it comes to a male character, the 27-year-old continues, “For instance, if you see a typical suhag raat scene, a man is pushed inside a room where his bride is sitting and waiting for him. Why can’t it be the other way round?”
The actor, who was also seen in the web series Aashram and Love Sex Aur Dhokha (2010), believes this could be a result of sexism being normalised in our society. “I won’t debate the whole man and woman thing. But women are always considered to be the receivers (in this scenario),” she adds.
As a result, Pohankar not only takes pride in being a part of the web show which touches upon the subject of female sexuality, but is also glad that the makers did so without making it crass. “What I love [about working on She ]is that it has been two seasons so far, and no one has ever asked me ke yeh scene aise kyun kiya, ya yeh scene waise kyun kiya. The audience is following the mind of a human being, not of a man or a woman,” she wraps up.