Female actors still need dress a certain way, talk in a certain way to ‘fit in’: Sonam Kapoor

Bollywood diva talks sexism, misogyny in the Indian film industry

Bollywood diva Sonam Kapoor has always called spade a spade. The actor has often spoken up about sexism in the Indian film industry and like every time, she is not mincing words in her latest interview with Cosmpolitan India. 

“I wasn’t in the line of fire but it has been traumatising to see what my colleagues have been through, and the witch-hunt that has taken place. I feel scared...women are such soft targets," she shared with the publication. "Nobody has ever spoken about a man in the way women are being spoken about right now It’s almost like we have gone back several decades...where, if you are a woman in the film or fashion industry, you are not thought of as an artist or a creative person. Instead, your moral character is questioned.”

The Khoobsurat star continued that even now, it is believed that female actors need to act and dress in a certain way. She added that women need to take a stand for themselves and ‘make better choices’

“There still exists this idea of working with the ‘big hero’ to succeed. And female actors need to be a certain way, dress a certain way, and talk in a certain way to ‘fit in’. You still have your teams reminding you to ‘fit the mould’. I’m fortunate that my team isn’t like that, but it happens all the time!,” she retorted.

Sonam said that the women of the film industry need to rally together and turn down films and projects that are sexist. “Look at the way song lyrics or scripts are written about women... that needs to change. The way women are portrayed and talked about in the industry is not okay, and as women, we should not agree to work in those films because we are just harming ourselves. There is no price too high, especially considering all that has happened over this year... Each one of us needs to make better choices, or we will be subjected to a witch-hunt and we will be burnt at the stake,” she said.

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