Earlier this month we got to see a glimpse of Zoya Akhtar’s upcoming directorial for Netflix, the live-action musical screen adaptation of American comic The Archies. The filmmaker is known for making movies with strong characters, be it Gully Boy or Dil Dhadakne Do. In a recent interview, the daughter of lyricist Javed Akhtar shared how she views representation and inclusion in cinema. Zoya talked about how it is not just the marginalized communities but even men who were misrepresented in Indian cinema.
Speaking to The Hindu, Zoya said that representation is when one’s identity or personality is validated in any kind of popular culture. She added that it is not just women, the LGBTQ community but even men are also represented badly many times. She told the national daily, “In the 80s and 90s, you never saw tenderness, you never saw consent. But we had molestation scenes. That affects the psyche of a nation.” Zoya also mentioned that movies made in the 80s or 90s or before showed women having no right to express how they felt, and that certainly makes a difference. “So how you’re representing is key, as people need to know they’re not alone,” said Zoya.
Toxic masculinity and consent are some of the issues that have come to the fore in recent cinematic discussions.
Besides being a filmmaker Zoya also runs a production house called Tiger Baby films with Reema Kagti. She shared her thoughts on including people from the LGBTQ community, especially in a workplace like hers where she is telling stories for a vast mass. Zoya told The Hindu, “The more diversity that we have, the more people we reach.” The Luck By Chance director said, “It’s not out of kindness or charity that we need to include various communities; it is actually a smart business decision to have diversity in your office or space.” The 49-year-old added that what one needs to do is represent them more in stories, and empower people to come up with their own stories. “I would like to have more LGBTQ stories out there and have more LGBTQ actors out there,” said Zoya.
Besides The Archies, Zoya will also be producing the second season of the critically acclaimed Made In Heaven series.
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