Bollywood actress and director Kangana Ranaut, who is currently receiving rave reviews for her performance in her recently-released film Emergency, has criticised Bollywood's representation of women. In one of her latest interviews, Kangana opened up about turning down a role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmaavat, citing the lack of substantial female representation in the film. The titular role was then played by Deepika Padukone in 2018.
Expressing disappointment over limited and often stereotypical portrayal of women in Bollywood, Kangana said during a conversation with Ajeet Bharti, "I was offered Padmaavat as well. I asked Sanjay Leela Bhansali for the script, but he said he never shares scripts. Then I asked him about the role of the heroine. He said there’s nothing much, the heroine’s role is just that the hero looks at her in the mirror while she’s getting ready. And when I watched the film, I saw that throughout the movie, she is just getting ready... He was right. She is only getting ready."
Kangana also commented that Bhansali has created a "multiverse of prostitutes." She added, "Women do other kinds of work too, right? It just gets overwhelming... I don’t mean to demean sex workers. I’ve also played a sex worker in Rajjo. I don’t mean to demean anybody."
She further criticised the lack of substantial roles for women in Bollywood, saying, "Top directors do not show women in good roles, and the kind of roles female actors are getting these days are demeaning."
Emergency in theatres
Meanwhile, after multiple delays and setbacks, Emergency, finally released in theatres on Friday (January 17). However, it has hit yet another roadblock as members of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) staged protests outside several theatres across Punjab seeking a ban on the film in the state. The have accused the makers of misrepresentation.
Before release, it also faced several hurdles during receiving certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). It was initially scheduled to release theatrically on September 6.
Earlier, Kangana had also revealed that she had to sell her Mumbai property to fund the project after the postponement, an ordeal she never anticipated while bringing this film to life.
The film also stars Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Choudhary, Satish Kaushik and Vishak Nair.
