Now Reading: Kitu Gidwani criticises Bollywood’s treatment of older actresses
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Kitu Gidwani criticises Bollywood’s treatment of older actresses
Veteran actor Kitu Gidwani has called Bollywood a “fake industry” with “vague rules”, criticising its treatment of artistes and lack of royalty protections. Speaking to Screen, she said India had no equivalent…
The Story in Brief
Veteran actor Kitu Gidwani has called Bollywood a “fake industry” with “vague rules”, criticising its treatment of artistes and lack of royalty protections. Speaking to Screen, she said India had no equivalent of Hollywood’s Screen Actors Guild and argued that performers should benefit from royalties after years of work. She also said artistes had little control over intellectual property and creative rights after receiving a one-time fee, Bollywood Hungama reports.
Gidwani said older women were often limited to generic mother or aunt roles, while television actresses could be shifted into grandmother parts from the age of 30. She called for roles involving love, power, comedy and action. Gidwani began her career with Holi in 1984 and is known for Swabhimaan, Shaktimaan and films including Earth and Dhobi Ghat.
The Indian Opinion
The lazy claim that Bollywood offers no meaningful work to older women is too broad, but Gidwani’s criticism points to a familiar pattern in mainstream casting. Her demand is not for special treatment, but for stronger characters and clearer rights over work. The industry’s size alone cannot prove it is a mature business. A useful test would be whether future contracts give performers continuing royalties and whether leading roles for older actresses move beyond mothers and aunts.
Source: bollywoodhungama.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
