Mumbai, June 10 (IANS) Amid the heated chatter about Janhvi Kapoor’s sexualised character in “Peddi”, veteran actress Anu Aggarwal has talked about the portrayal of women in films, questioning whether female characters are treated as complete human beings with their own voices, choices and journeys, or merely reduced to objects of visual consumption.
Anu wrote on Instagram: “When we talk about the objectification of women in cinema, what are we really talking about? For me, the question is simple. Are we seeing a female character as a complete human being? Or are we seeing her primarily as an object of visual consumption? Does she have a voice?”
She added: “Does she have a personality? Does she make choices? Does she have a journey of her own? And perhaps the simplest question of all: If a particular scene were removed, would the story lose something essential?”
“Or was it there merely to draw attention to her body? Respect recognizes the whole person. Objectification reduces the character to something less.What do you think?”
Peddi is receiving backlash over the portrayal of the female lead, Janhvi Kapoor, with many accusing the makers of objectifying her. However, later the film’s director Buchi Babu Sana responded to the ongoing controversy and said they will make changes to the relevant portion based on feedback.
Talking about Anu, after her debut in 1990, Anu appeared in a string of Hindi films, including Ghazab Tamasha, King Uncle, Khal-Naaikaa, The Cloud Door, Janam Kundli, and Ram Shastra.
Her last release was Return of Jewel Thief, which was released in 1996. Directed by Ashok Tyagi, the film was a sequel to the 1967 film Jewel Thief, which starred Ashok Kumar and Dev Anand, who reprise their roles in this film. The film’s cast also includes Dharmendra, Jackie Shroff, Shilpa Shirodkar, and Madhoo.
The actress in 1999 was injured in a serious car accident. After which, she was in a coma for almost 29 days, which left her with no memory of her earlier life.
–IANS
dc/
