Anushka Sharma | (Source: Instagram | @alliaalrufai)
Anushka Sharma | (Source: Instagram | @alliaalrufai)

Anushka Sharma has, though her many stellar roles in cinema, has given us many shades of women to cherish and look upto. Her characters in Sultan, Band Baaja Baaraat, NH10, Phillauri, Jab Tak hai Jaan, Ae Dil hai Mushkil, Sui Dhaaga among many others, proved that women can be confident, self-reliant, ambitious and free-spirited.

With her productions too, Anushka has given audiences a new brand of women who lived their lives on their own terms. On Women’s Day, Anushka speaks about how she took a conscious decision to change the portrayal of women on screen as an artiste and as a producer.

The actress says:

Our films have the power to impact change and if done correctly, films can also condition people to make them determine between what is right and what is wrong. By being clear about how we will portray women in cinema, we can alter the mindset of people towards how they perceive women and shatter age-old, regressive beliefs, customs and traditions.

Speaking about how she challenged the norms in the industry, she adds:

I think I have been conscious enough to select roles and films that I felt could contribute towards changing the portrayal of women on screen. It took a lot of self-belief for me to do this as an actor and then as a producer because I was somehow swimming against the tide and challenging the notion of how women were so far portrayed on screen.

She says that this decision liberated her and made her strive to shift the audiences’ mindsets about how they view and perceive a woman on screen. She says that more than anything it helped her stand up and do this for herself.

Lastly, she adds that at the end of the day, she wants her films and projects to spark some much-needed and impactful conversations in society.

She shares:

I was done seeing myself as an accessory and I vowed that as a producer I will also not allow any woman to be portrayed regressively. So, my film choices and then my productions are a testimony to the fact that I’m committed towards sparking a conversation in society about equality, self-respect and empowerment.

More power to you, Anushka! For giving us characters who are a reflection of modern Indian women, for bringing stories of real women to the forefront and for always striving to remain true and real! I, for one, cannot wait to see what she has in store for us in the times to come!