Vidya Balan Raises Alarm On Decline Of Female-Led Movies Post-Pandemic, Blames Studios For Placing 'Safer Bet On Historically Male-led Films'

Vidya Balan was last seen in Bhool Bhulaiya 3 and is known for boldly speaking her heart. Be it films like Shakuntala Devi, Begum Jaan, Tumhari Sulu, or Neeyat, she is celebrated for portraying strong, impactful female characters and becoming a voice for many. However, recently, she raised concerns about the decline in women-centric films after the COVID-19 pandemic. In a recent interview, Vidya expressed how the film studios have gone back to male-dominated movies post-pandemic, leaving less space for women-focused stories.

Vidya Balan sounds alarm on the decline of female-led films in the industry post-pandemic

In a recent interview with Deadline, Vidya Balan shared her observation that people have stopped going to theatres after COVID-19, making studios hesitant to fund women-centric films.

She said, “Post-pandemic, people in India have lost the habit of going to the theatres to watch films. The studios feel it would be safer to bet on the historically male-led films. In my opinion, this calls for a reinvention in the female-led film space.”

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What inspired Vidya Balan to become a strong women's voice through movies?

Vidya Balan also opened up about her journey of carving a niche by selecting films featuring strong, multi-dimensional female characters. However, at the beginning of her acting career, she lacked the option to choose such roles because these characters simply weren’t being written.

“There was no question of strategising (to play strong characters) because one had never really seen women take centre stage in mainstream films. The few films that I enjoyed where women were leading the story were in art house cinema. The only film I can think of which was commercially viable and led by a woman was Chaalbaaz," said the Paa actress. Although she always aspired to work in more female-led movies and never believed it was achievable until Parineeta came her way.