Bhumi Pednekar Speaks Out Against Gendered Labels; says 'strongly dislikes term female-led projects'

Bhumi Pednekar on Female-led Projects: Bhumi Pednekar, a prominent figure in Bollywood, is renowned for her exceptional acting skills and her portrayal of progressive female characters in Indian cinema. Her films often depict women who are ambitious, empowered, and socially aware. However, Bhumi strongly dislikes the term "female-led projects" commonly used in the industry to describe films headlined by women. She believes it unfairly categorizes such content, unlike projects led by male actors.

Bhumi Pednekar about Female-led Projects

In  Bhumi's view, the assumption that audiences are less inclined to watch films with female protagonists is baseless. She argues that viewers prioritize quality content over the gender of the lead character. Bhumi speaks from her own experience, having successfully portrayed strong women on screen. She attributes her career success to the availability of well-written roles for women during her tenure in the industry.

Bhumi says, “There is a misconception that people are not immediately drawn to watch films or content headlined by women. Such projects are immediately bracketed as ‘female-led projects’. This is an annoying term and I hate it from my gut. Gender doesn’t define people’s watching preferences. Audience wants to see good cinema, and good content. They aren’t choosing to watch it based on gender. It’s ridiculous.”

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Highlighting the success of her recent film "Bhakshak," Bhumi emphasizes the global acclaim it received despite confronting patriarchal norms. This success, she argues, demonstrates that audiences appreciate compelling narratives regardless of the gender of the lead actor.

Bhumi advocates for equal opportunities for women in filmmaking, urging producers to invest in projects with female leads on par with those featuring male actors. She cites successful films like "Toilet: Ek Prem Katha," "Lust Stories," and "Saand Ki Aankh" as examples of women-driven narratives that have achieved commercial success.

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