International Women’s Day is celebrated across the globe on March 8. It is a day to honour the contribution of women in the society.
Over the years, the way how women are portrayed on screen has changed and evolved by leaps and bounds. On the occasion of Women's Day, actresses open up about their contribution to the changing face of women in the entertainment industry today:
Dalljiet Kaur
I definitely think I have contributed in my own little way by taking all the challenges in my life with optimism. I have learned to not compromise. I have also faced everything head-on with full honesty.
Shweta Kawatraa
The challenges women face are not limited to one industry. As an actor, I’ve always portrayed characters that are independent, strong, and powerful. Often society is not ready for this. I stand for normalising the challenges women go through. One of the challenges I’ve gone through that women are facing in India is post-partum depression. As a mother of a 10-year-old, I reach out to women and mothers. My choice of roles has changed what remains is the resilience of a woman… a mother.
Soundarya Sharma
I feel that as a person who is coming up in the industry, we are very much responsible as there are a lot of people looking up to you. I’m trying my best to give courage to all those women and girls who are from a small town, who have nothing to do with the glamour industry, and who are common and middle-class like me. If I can do it then everything is possible. I had nobody telling me and my education has been my wisdom. I kept working hard for it and today people have actually recognised this.
Gulki Joshi
As a woman, my contribution is to promote hard work and sincerity. Keep it simple, keep it real. As an actor, I choose roles that show women as strong characters like Maddam Sir. My biggest achievement is when little girls come up to me and say they want to become police officers. Inspiring to be stronger has always been my motto.
Asha Negi
Knowingly or unknowingly, I have somehow contributed to the changing face of the industry. I did not realise then that I was doing it. I was just going after my ambition, but now when I look back, I completely agree with it. The most important step that I took was stepping out of my hometown to fulfil my dreams and coming to Mumbai, not knowing anybody, not having any relatives or any contact from the industry.
Now, when people, especially girls, say I've been an inspiration and that they want to pursue their dreams after knowing about my journey, it is then that I feel I have indeed accomplished something. It feels great that being from a small town and coming from a middle-class family, I'm achieving my dreams and a lot of girls are looking up to me.
Sandeepa Dhar
I feel blessed to be working in a time that truly enriches and empowers female characters in all its glory. The scripts, characters, and representations of female characters in today’s cinema and entertainment platforms have, to a great extent, replicated the modern, independent women of society.
While I don’t deem myself worthy enough to make a huge change in the overall representation of women, I actively opt for roles that hold merit in the script, as opposed to mere eye candies. From my debut film to recent shows like Abhay, MumBhai, Bisaat, Mai and Dr Arora amongst others, I have actively refrained from demeaning or objectifying roles. Even specifically the dance number for Pankaj sir’s film Kaagaz, I was elated that the lyrics in no way were objectifying or derogatory to women, in fact, they represented the confidence of a woman. Through my choices, in my small steps, I attempt to contribute towards a more inclusive and gender-developed entertainment industry.
