There have been conversations and discussions around the growing need for gender equality to seep into the corridors of the entertainment world. However, actor Ram Kapoor wonders why there have been no discussions about males dealing with the same issue in the television and modelling industry. Also read: Ram Kapoor says he has no plans to make a comeback on TV: ‘You get stuck doing the same role’
In an interview with Hindustan Times, Ram Kapoor, who is seen in The Khalbali Records, spoke about the issue in length. He feels gender equality doesn’t really need to happen in the entertainment industry because that’s the equilibrium that the audience has picked.
On gender equality in the industry
When it comes to gender equality, the actor feels the present dynamic has been chosen by the audience members, and they are the only ones who can change it.
“I don’t think gender equality needs to really happen in the entertainment industry… Because every industry has a certain dynamic, and that dynamic has been chosen by the audience,” he tells us.
At this point, Ram reveals he doesn’t ponder about this thought much, wondering why heroes are always bigger than the heroines in Bollywood. Why?
“For 15 years, I was part of the television industry where the female lead is much bigger than the male lead. On the small screen, it is all about Tulsi and Parvati. The male lead is the second fiddle to the female. But in those entire 15 years, I never cared about male gender economy there,” asserts the actor, known for shows such as Kasamh Se, Bade Achhe Lagte Hain and Jubilee.
Ram continues, “I have been a part of an industry where the females have dominated and I’ve been totally okay with that. You know why? Because it is the audience who wanted that. Whether it’s Bollywood, where males are doing better, or television where the females are doing better, it doesn’t matter to me”.
And he doesn’t dwell on either of the scenarios because things are fine in the entertainment space. He shares, “When I was part of a scenario where the women were always overshadowing the men, I didn’t care then either. So why should I care now? This gender equality thing… some people make too much out of it”.
On the feminist movement
The actor, who has found a wide fan base working on television, films as well as the OTT space, notes that the movement is one-sided, and questions why no one speaks about the jobs where men are sidelined.
“People say that men are kept as the priority whether it’s Bollywood or Hollywood, and that may be true. But there are enough industries where it is the opposite and where nobody makes a big deal out of it,” says the Bade Achhe Lagte Hain actor.
Giving an example to explain his thoughts, Ram shares, “In the world of modelling, the male models cannot even come close to the female models worldwide.
Everybody knows about Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford. Does anyone remember a single male model of that time?
“There nobody talks about gender equality. There are enough industries where women rule. Nobody makes a big deal. But what’s happened is that the feminine movement has made too big a deal about women coming. I don’t dwell on this because no matter what feminism might want to produce, it’s always the audience who will decide on what’s going to happen,” he adds.
“Every industry has a place, and there is a reason for that. It has been there because that’s the structure that the society wanted. So why try to fight it,” Ram mentions.
On working on The Khalbali Records
When it comes to work, Ram is seen in The Khalbali Records, which is streaming on JioCinema Premium, which takes the viewers into the world of Indie music with a focus on how talent meets ambition. Directed by Devanshu Singh, The Khalbali Records also stars Skand Thakur, Saloni Batra and popular Punjabi rapper Prabh Deep.
Talking about the same, he says, “I loved working on it. It was a little different. I’ve never done anything in the music industry, but I had a blast working on it”.
More than music, Ram saw the show through the prism of “ultimate struggle between a father and son”.
“Rather than focusing on the artist, despite it being a very big part of the show, I focused on my relationship with my son. And found it exciting to work on,” Ram concludes.