Actress Naila Grrewal believes cinema can play an important role in bringing women’s issues to the forefront and says women themselves have a responsibility to support and uplift one another.
During an exclusive interaction with IANS, the ‘Thappad’ actress spoke about her desire to be part of films that explore issues affecting women. She also expressed concern that woman-centric stories have become less visible in recent years.
“Definitely, I feel that as an individual, I am very driven when it comes to women-centric issues, and I would certainly like to do a film that focuses on and explores women’s issues. I feel there has been a slight decline in such films over the past few years, and we are not seeing enough of them anymore,” Naila said.
Recalling her experience of working in ‘Thappad’, Naila praised her co-star Taapsee Pannu for consistently taking up stories centred on women’s concerns.
“I was very fortunate to be a part of a film like ‘Thappad’, and I feel that Taapsee Pannu has done many films along those lines,” she said.
Naila also mentioned Taapsee’s recent Netflix release ‘Gandhari’, which she said deals with child trafficking and highlights the importance of bringing women’s issues into mainstream conversations.
“I would definitely want to be a part of films that promote this idea because women have a responsibility to support and uplift other women. And if we do not do that, then who will?” she added.
The actress further argued that commercial considerations should not prevent filmmakers from telling stories about important social issues.
“And when it comes to box office numbers, I feel that should not, cannot, and must not stop us. These issues are so important that we should not be limited by questions like, ‘Which male star is in the film?’” Naila said.
She concluded by stressing that women should take the lead in telling stories about women’s experiences and concerns, adding that she would be happy to contribute to that space.
