We need to see women who are more reflective of the times: Shabana Azmi

Mumbai: The Jagran Film Festival paid tribute to veteran actress Shabana Azmi, with a special session titled ‘Let the Curtain Rise on the Women Who Never Needed One Celebrating 50 Years of Shabana Azmi in Cinema’, where she spoke of how patriarchy affects both genders and the need to see it on screen.

The five-time National Award winner engaged in a conversation about her journey, her evolving understanding of womanhood on screen and the changing narrative of female representation in Indian cinema.

She said India is a ‘strange’ country where some women have reached remarkable heights, whereas some are still being buried at birth. “I think there is definitely an understanding that we need to see women who are more reflective of the times. But India is a strange country where it has lived for several centuries simultaneously. On one side, you’ll find women who have reached remarkable heights and on the other, there are still girls buried at birth, their only mistake being that they were born female. These contradictions stem deeply from patriarchy,” she said during a session.

Azmi also talked about how the patriarchy not only affects women but also men and a balance is what she now wants to see on screen. “What we often forget is that both women and men are victims of it. Men are told they can’t cry or express tenderness because they are men. For someone to be complete, they must be 50% female and 50% male when the yin and yang are balanced within; that’s when you become whole. That’s the kind of person I want to see on the Indian screen,” she said.