Naila Grrewal: Women Must Lead Stories That Put Their Issues at the Forefront

Actress Naila Grrewal believes women need to support and uplift one another and take the lead in bringing issues affecting women into the mainstream through cinema.

In an exclusive interaction with IANS, Naila spoke about her interest in women-centric stories and said she would like to work in films that explore issues faced by women. According to the actress, there has been a decline in the number of such films in recent years, making it important for the industry to continue telling stories that give these concerns a wider platform.

"Definitely, I feel that as an individual, I am very driven when it comes to women-centric issues, and I would certainly like to do a film that focuses on and explores women's issues. I feel there has been a slight decline in such films over the past few years, and we are not seeing enough of them anymore," Naila told IANS.

Reflecting on her experience of working in 'Thappad', she praised her co-star Taapsee Pannu for consistently choosing stories that address important social issues. Naila also referred to Pannu's recent Netflix release 'Gandhari', which deals with the issue of child trafficking.

"I was very fortunate to be a part of a film like 'Thappad', and I feel that Taapsee Pannu has done many films along those lines. She recently had another film released on Netflix (Gandhari), I believe, which deals with child trafficking and highlights the importance of bringing women's issues to the forefront," she said.

Naila said she would like to be part of more such projects, stressing that women in the industry have a role to play in creating and supporting stories that address women's experiences.

"I would definitely want to be a part of films that promote this idea because women have a responsibility to support and uplift other women. And if we do not do that, then who will?" she added.

The actress also argued that commercial considerations should not discourage filmmakers from taking up socially relevant subjects. She said box office expectations should not determine whether stories dealing with important women's issues get made.

"And when it comes to box office numbers, I feel that should not, cannot, and must not stop us. These issues are so important that we should not be limited by questions like, 'Which male star is in the film?' I believe women should lead these stories, and I would love to be a part of that space," Naila concluded.

Her comments underline the continuing debate in Hindi cinema over the space given to women-led narratives and whether commercially driven considerations should outweigh stories dealing with important social issues.