Tanvi Azmi: We don’t see women as real human beings in our films

While many feel that roles being written for women in Bollywood have undergone a change, actor Tanvi Azmi feels that there is still a long way to go before there is a total overhaul.

“We don’t see women as real human beings, especially in our films. They are always more of a padding to the actual story and never given such an importance,” she says.

Citing the example of her film, Thappad (2020), the actor adds, “It was a film like that which was pleasantly surprising because it was a man’s gaze in a woman’s world where he was holding the man responsible. It is nice that things are tuning around and people are aware but a women was never really looked at in such depths, her pains, her drams her failures, her losses, any of that. I am glad that we are now coming up with stuff like that.”

Azmi, who stars in recently released web film, Tribhanga, which is women-centric story helmed by Renuka Shahane, credits the OTT platforms for ushering in a change in storytelling.

“Thanks to the OTT platforms, people are now willing to explore things like that. They know that the film will get an audience and people will get to see their films and telling different stories. That is fantastic,” shares the Bajirao Mastani (2015) actor.

Azmi, who is a National Award winner, has dabbled with all three mediums now- TV, films and web, says her approach still remains the same.

“As an actor, I will say that I would not perform any differently for a theatrical release or a TV show or a web project. I don’t think the medium should make any difference to the actor. It is more about the commercial viability of a projects. I suppose with theatrical you will end up earning more, but in the case of OTTs the reach is bigger. It is a boon to have these platforms,” she concludes.