Heroes need to be ready to play second fiddle: Shabana Azmi

Veteran Bollywood actress Shabana Azmi is remembered for having featured in roles of empowered women or in the roles of women who were central to the plot of the film. This was at a time when a huge chunk of screen space was occupied by men, especially in mainstream films. In a recent interview with MidDay, Shabana Azmi expressed joy at how times have changed for the better in the Bollywood industry. “The scenario has improved vastly. Earlier, it was only left to parallel cinema to give women substantial roles. Today, look at the roles Alia Bhatt and Deepika Padukone are doing in mainstream films. I believe if change has to happen, it should reflect in mainstream cinema, or you are preaching to the converted. That there are so many women on the set today in positions of authority is a good sign. Since there are so many female writers now, I hope it will lead to more women-centred content,,” Shabana said. 

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Shabana also talked about the difference in pay range between actors and actresses in the industry. “It will change when women-centric films start making money at the box office. Heroes need to be ready to play second fiddle like women did all these years,” Shabana added.