Actresses Speaking Out

Film critic, Rajeev Masand, invited various Bollywood actresses from three different generations to reflect upon the sexism and misogyny they faced within their time in the industry.   

Swara Bhaskar was harassed when she was a young actress. 

Many women in the industry can name horrific incidents that they have encountered just because they are women. These men feel as if they have the right to do anything they want. 

  

Ratna Shah believes women that are a part of misogynistic films are to be blamed also. 

Women empower one another. However myriad Bollywood movies show that actresses want to be part of misogynistic movies because just by working with a famous male actor or doing a hit item song can bounce them into the limelight.       

Vidya Balan mentions how her weight is constantly shown as an issue.

After gaining weight, many women are forced to lose the weight or ousted from the industry to not abide by the looks of being skinny. This leads to a career end for many females and the shaming on top of that is what they have to constantly endure.  

Swara Bhaskar mentions a terrible incident she encountered. 

The mentality of people living in India, especially men, exemplifies the negativity towards women. Seeing various scenes in movies that show this type of action towards woman shows the men they are okay to do whatever they want.

   

Zaira Wasim mentions how misogyny encompasses social media. 

Once again the weight of a woman is what the focus is on rather than the talent they possess. 

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Vidya Balan embarks upon body-shaming. 

Despite being one of the most versatile actress of her time, Vidya Balan’s weight at one point outshined her career. But she bounced back to show that her talent is what really matters.