I feel safe at a film set, says actress Bhumi Pednekar at IFFI Goa

MUMBAI : Celebrated Bollywood actress Bhumi Pednekar and filmmaker Imtiaz Ali share their thoughts on women's safety and Indian cinema at the 55th International Film Festival of India, Goa

Considering the power of cinema and how it can influence society and especially young minds of the nation, the 55th International Film Festival India 2024 organized a panel discussion on women’s safety and Indian cinema. The panel comprised of filmmaker Imtiaz Ali, actress Bhumi Pednekar, actress Khushboo Sundar and actress Suhasini Maniratnam and was moderated by Vani Tripathi Tikoo.

While the conversation revolved around the portrayal of women on-screen and the safety of women in the workplace, especially on the film set, Bhumi pointed out how, she found a safe environment while working on her debut film and all the following films after that.

Bhumi Pednekar said, “My debut film was really very special because the film truly questions the status quo. Being born into a family that was fairly liberal, until I started working, I did not know about the sexism that exists in the workplace. Of course, my father was against my decision of joining the film industry because he felt it’s a big bad world. I wish he knew that the world of cinema and our film industry is really a great place to work. I feel more safe and protected when I am on a film set than anywhere outside.”

While the casting couch was also spoken about during the session, filmmaker Imtiaz Ali, who is known for crafting powerful female characters in his films, pointed out an interesting perspective.

Imtiaz Ali said, “One cannot increase the opportunity for themselves by compromising or giving in to the casting couch. There is no assurance that one will get a project based on that. Yes, there will be a lot of people who will come to exploit her, but her career might just also be compromised. If a girl can say no and stand up for her self-respect and dignity, that also helps her to earn respect. If a woman is ready to compromise, even I will think twice before taking the person seriously. I, as a director, also have to respect her to cast her. So, one should not be in that delusion that a budding actor can create opportunity by compromising. In reality, I have only seen the opposite of that.”

The ongoing International Film Festival India (IFFI), Goa, is screening more than 270 films from around 81 countries this year. The market place, Film Bazaar is also happening alongside IFFI that has some wonderful line up of films at at various stages of filmmaking that buyers and sellers can choose from.