Shabana Azmi advocates male actors to embrace supporting roles

Veteran actor Shabana Azmi, marking 50 years in the industry in 2024, celebrates the evolving landscape of commercial cinema. She notes the increasing opportunities for women, regardless of age, in diverse roles. Azmi, acclaimed for her performance in Karan Johar's "Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani," acknowledges the groundbreaking presence of stars like Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhatt, who now headline significant roles in mainstream cinema, a shift that was previously unimaginable.
In an interview with an Indian media, Shabana reflected on the transformation over the past decade, emphasising how substantial roles for senior artists were once unimaginable. However, in the past two years, she has witnessed a remarkable shift, having played a diverse range of characters. She highlights the significant improvement in opportunities for women, noting that previously, such roles were confined to parallel cinema. Shabana underscores the importance of mainstream cinema reflecting this change, citing the impactful roles portrayed by Alia Bhatt and Deepika Padukone. She believes that for real change to occur, it must be evident in mainstream narratives, rather than merely preaching to an already converted audience.
Shabana Azmi noted the positive presence of women in authoritative roles on sets today, seeing it as a promising sign. With the rise of female writers, she anticipates a surge in women-centred content. Addressing pay disparity, she emphasised that change will come when women-centric films prove profitable at the box office. She suggests that male actors must be willing to take supporting roles, as women have done historically.