Once again, veteran actress Shabana Azmi has focused on the portrayal of women in cinema, this time directly targeting item numbers and the culture of objectification surrounding them. On the other hand, Shabana praised director Zoya Akhtar for her nuanced portrayal of Katrina Kaif in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.
Once again, veteran actress Shabana Azmi has focused on the portrayal of women in cinema, this time directly targeting item numbers and the culture of objectification surrounding them.Speaking about how women are portrayed on screen, she said that the goal lies in the lens itself. “It’s the way the camera moves over (the woman’s) body that defines the director’s intent. In the item number, the woman loses all control and surrenders to the male gaze. So, she objectifies herself. And some of the words they sing, I find very uncomfortable,” she told Mojo Story.
Katrina Kaif calls Zoya Akhtar a ‘secret angel’ in her heartfelt birthday greeting
“If men can do such things, why can’t we?”
Shabana also questioned the argument often used to defend such offers.
“And yet, a lot of women say, ‘If men can do things like that, why can’t we?’ Just because men want to be objectified, why should you be too? I have a very big problem with that.”The actor noted that many of these songs exist independently of the film’s narrative story. “It’s often a thing in itself,” she noted, expressing concern not only about filmmaking choices but also about audience response.“What worries me then is the community’s reaction to it. You see young children singing songs like ‘Choli Ke Peeche’ at functions, and people around them laugh and encourage them.
So you fall into the trap that has been set for you.”
to praise Zoya Akhtar sensitivity inZindagi na milegi dobara ‘
On the other hand, Shabana praised director Zoya Akhtar for her nuanced portrayal of Katrina Kaif in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. “Katrina plays a diving instructor in the film. She comes out of the water, dripping, and she’s in a bikini. Here, the camera holds her in a long shot. Once she’s in the bathrobe, the camera goes into a close-up. Zoya (close-up) could have chosen to go from her legs to her face, objectifying her. But the way she held the camera made her a working girl, doing what she had to do. You need that kind of sensitivity.”
