We never saw tenderness or consent in Bollywood films in the 80s and 90s, says Zoya Akhtar
Zoya Akhtar while talking about the importance of representation in films said that it has an impact on the psyche of the entire country.
In an interview with The Hindu, the director of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara revealed that not only women but also men are portrayed badly in films at times.
She told the outlet, "Representation is when your identity or personality is validated in any kind of popular culture. It's not just women; other communities, the disabled, and even men are often poorly represented." goes.
"In the 80s and 90s, you never saw tenderness, you never saw consent. But we had scenes of molestation. It affects the psyche of a nation," said Zoya.
She continued, "You saw women who had no right to express how they felt, and that definitely made a difference. So how you're represented is important, because people have to Need to know they are not alone."
The director continued: "I was born and brought up in India, but I come from a corner of this society. If I don't see someone like me out there, there's no paradigm for me and I'm going to I feel isolated. I'll feel lonely, like I don't belong or don't fit in. I would see myself as an anomaly - but I'm not - there are many women like me."
Talking about her upcoming film The Archies based on Archie Comics, Zoya said that she feels a bit nervous as the characters are iconic and are loved across the world.
"I have to make sure the film evokes nostalgia for the generation that grew up on the comic, and still resonates with today's young adults," she explained.