Women-led films are still not the norm: Vidya
The landscape of cinema is changing, as are the kinds of stories and characters being written. But, a lot remains to be done in terms of women taking charge from the front in films, feels Vidya Balan. The actor, who recently launched a book in Mumbai that talks about changing roles for female actors today, took the stage to address the same.
“We don’t have enough women-led films,” asserts Balan, adding, “It’s still not the norm. The day there are 50% films headlined by women — both actors and directors — and the more success we see, the lines will get blurred.”
The actor has herself been a part of films that have strong female characters, including the Kahaani franchise, Sherni (2021) and Jalsa (2022). Here, she points out how “we have had male-led films forever”, but such isn’t the case when it comes to female-led scripts.
She elaborates, “In every female actor’s career, there would have been one film where she played the central protagonist. But, that’s about it. And that was a celebration of her own artistry [more] than anything else.”
The 44-year-old goes on to point out how women are “still judged” in cinema in the present day.
“Earlier, it was about whether they were good or bad. But today, it is about whether you are empowered, a feminist or an independent woman. You cannot use the same yardstick [for every woman]. And why does every woman have to be empowered on screen? Then, we are only telling stories about a certain group of women. I think we have to look at reality from a more holistic perspective,” she opines.
However, the actor does not want to take away from the progress made. “We have come a long way. It is important to underline that we are making headway with female-led films,” she signs off.
In cinema, women are still judged. Earlier, it was whether they were good or bad. Today, it’s about whether you are a feminist or empowered.
VIDYA BALAN, Actor