It’s no secret that Bollywood is a male-dominated industry. Not only is there a massive pay gap, but also women are given few impactful roles. Heard of the sexy lamp test? Where if you replace the actress with a *sexy* lamp, it won’t affect the plot of the film? Yes, most of the movies, sadly, pass the test.
While the industry still hasn’t made much improvement as far as the relevance of a female character is concerned, the situation was worse off back in the day. With characters who were only on-screen as an ‘eye candy’, the film industry offered limited prospects to female actors to prove their mettle. And at such a time, actor Zeenat Aman spoke about this discrimination problem.
In a video that has surfaced online and shared by an Instagram page Vintage Bollywood, Zeenat Aman is seen shooting for the song Laila O Laila for the film Qurbani. In a conversation on the set, she talks about how women are just used as ‘ornaments’ in a film. She said that the so-called heroine of the movie just sings and dances around the hero, and she is limited to such a ‘role’.
90% of the time most of the women here (in the industry) are just playing purely ornamental roles. They sing and dance and prance around the leading man, and that’s about it.
-Zeenat Aman
The veteran actor further explained that changes are coming about in the industry, as women are refusing to be in the shadow of the male lead. She said that more and more actresses are demanding good roles as per their capabilities.
Zeenat goes on to say that with changing times, women are realizing their potential and are claiming their position in the industry that purely works for men, by men and about men.
I think that’s exciting because women in India are finally getting something they can identify with other than just ornamentation.
-Zeenat Aman
Just like Zeenat said, change happens when you fight for it. Women should refuse to be pigeonholed into specific gender roles stamped by society. Unless we stand up and demand justice and equity, we can’t possibly make a difference.
The actor’s words resonate with us, but what is sad is that even years later, they remain just as relevant, because things have changed, but not enough.
You can watch the full video here:
We hail the actor for her powerful words that inspire women of all generations to pick up their swords and carve their own place by speaking up. We stan you, queen!
