Recently, The Quint caught up with the Bombay and Dil Se actor Manisha Koirala, the Lai Bhaari actor Aaditi Pohankar and the Mirzya actor Saiyami Kher for a talk on the changing roles for women in cinema today. Manisha, Saiyami and Aaditi spoke about the changing dynamics in the film industry, and what that means for them as actors.
On Beauty Standards
“I have been watching a lot of movies and I really love when the younger generation is following the character rather than just looking at the glamorous bit. I’ll give you an example of ‘Udta Punjab’, wherein Alia’s character shone through because she wasn’t focussed on looking pretty or glamorous. She was looking the part. So I feel if an actor can overcome their own beauty and glamour and get into the part and give hundred or two hundred percent to the part, I think the battle is won.”Manisha Koirala, Actor
She also spoke of her own struggles with beauty standards:
“I went through this whole thing, psychosis, because there are enough people who brainwash you. Like 'don't do this, do this.' And that whole thing happened during 'Bombay' actually, where my director and DOP had clearly told me 'Don't put make-up on' but because the fear psychosis was so much and because I was already filled with so many things I felt 'Oh let me put on a little’. I would hide behind and put mascara and a little rouge on the cheek and come and Mani sir would catch me and be like 'Take that off’.”
On Meaty Roles
“There always was a very distinct difference between art and commercial cinema. And there was this much art and this much of commercial cinema which was there in the 80s and the 90s. And it was also probably that the audiences had started accepting more relevant films. A mixture of both the films.”Saiyami Kher
“I also watched ‘Bandit Queen’, I did also watch ‘Mirch Masala’. We had artists like Deepti Naval ji, we had Shabana ji, we had of course so many other great actresses performing which were powerhouse performances. Now I think its amalgamated.”Aaditi Pohankar
On Being Typecast
“Yeah, I don’t agree with them. I think each to their own. Okay. And if one chooses that part that’s fully acceptable. If one doesn’t see that it is fully acceptable, it doesn’t really bother me.”Manisha Koirala
“I got ‘Lai Bhaari’ because I did a play called ‘Time Boy’ which was directed by Makrand Deshpande and I was just a seven-year-old girl in that. And I got cast for ‘Lai Bhaari’, so it was like I don’t see any typecast.”Aaditi Pohankar
On the #MeToo Movement
“It is basically today people think ten times before they can mess with you. Which wasn’t the earlier case.”Manisha Koirala
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)