Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali recently shared his thoughts on how gender is portrayed in movies and the importance of creating safe environments for women on film sets.
Speaking at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, he expressed that, in his 20 years of experience, he has seen a ‘deep level of respect’ for women in the Hindi film industry. He also shared that, on three occasions, he had to send crew members home for not behaving properly.
The filmmaker recollected one such incident that happened on the sets of ‘Highway’, starring Alia Bhatt and Randeep Hooda. According to Imtiaz, they were shooting on a rural highway, and there were no proper vanity vans at that time. While shooting in 2013, Alia had to change her clothes and go for nature’s call in different and unusual places. He revealed that he had to ask one of his crew members to leave the film as he tried to be around Alia during such times.
Alia Bhatt on how motherhood has changed her: ‘It changed my body, my hair, my breast, my skin…but…’
It was not a rare incident but happened three times in Imtiaz’s career as a filmmaker. However, he now admits that things have really changed on the sets of films. ‘Actresses are really safe on the sets. It’s not like that anymore,’ Imtiaz said.
He further praised the setup of the film industry in Bombay, highlighting how it creates a safe environment for women. He noted that, despite being a man, he has observed that the industry treats its female workers with respect and protection, emphasizing that even in large units with many people, women feel secure.
