Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan

I don’t know about you, but starting off my Women’s Day with a batch of Shah Rukh Khan pictures sure sounds like a good way to celebrate 🙂 Yesterday we told you that he’s encouraged his producers to put his leading ladies’ names ahead of his during the credit rolls of a film, a statement he made while at a press conference for Tata Tea. Read on to see what SRK said – and let us know if you agree that putting a female actor’s name first is the right move to make.

Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan

Shah Rukh says: “Women are the backbone in my field of work. But they don’t get due credit. I would like to request that the name of heroines appear first while giving credits. We would start this with Chennai Express. Deepika‘s name comes first. She is quite excited about it.”

Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan

Shah Rukh has also urged people to follow suit, and says that while he knows this won’t make a huge difference right now, he is looking to make a point – and hopefully, a change in mindset will occur. Have a look at the Jaago Re campaign that’s been shot by R Balki – SRK makes the statement in this TVC:

Shah Rukh Khan and Sanjiv Sarin
Shah Rukh Khan and Sanjiv Sarin
Shah Rukh Khan and Sanjiv Sarin
Shah Rukh Khan and Sanjiv Sarin

What do you think of the TVC? Like I said before, it’s a nice gesture on SRK and the brand’s part, but I could argue the point that “putting women ahead” still hampers the idea of gender equality. I totally get where the campaign is coming from, but I don’t want SRK’s move to become another “token” – just a few bread crumbs tossed a female actor’s way. When a female’s name is put first in the credits, it should be because she’s the bigger star, has the meatier role, has more screen time, whatever – not just because she’s a woman. In any case, I see that he’s doing it to make a point – and I hope that point is well-noted. With female actors carrying films like English Vinglish and Kahaani on their shoulders, it looks like there’s already some shift in the industry happening, and we’re hoping this continues!