Veteran Actress Calls for Gender Pay Parity in Bollywood
Legendary actress Shabana Azmi, who is celebrating 50 years in the film industry this year, believes the tide is turning for women in commercial cinema. In a recent interview, she remarked that varied and impactful roles are increasingly being written for female stars across all ages.
Azmi credits rising talents like Alia Bhatt and Deepika Padukone for headlining prominent parts in major productions. She noted that just a decade ago, such substantial roles in mainstream movies were almost unthinkable for women. However, today's leading ladies are fronting important storylines for popular franchises.
The 73-year-old veteran praised Bhatt and Padukone for advocating women-centered narratives to wider audiences. She said real change will occur when female-driven films start achieving box office success consistently. On the issue of pay parity between male and female actors, Azmi asserted that top heroes must embrace supporting roles to remedy years of disparity.
According to Azmi, improved representation of women behind the camera is also encouraging. With more females penning scripts and directing, she hopes gender-balanced storytelling will flourish. Her five-decade career achievements will be honored at the upcoming UK Asian Film Festival and City of London Corporation ceremony next week.
