Women in the Hindi film industry, both in front and behind the camera, have broken the “glass ceiling” and have entered every male bastion, actor Raveena Tandon said yesterday during a panel discussion at the ‘National Conclave on Mann Ki Baat @100’ in New Delhi.

Tandon, the star of the 1990 and early 2000s Hindi cinema, said the film industry should learn from sister mediums TV and OTT (over-the-top) platforms, who are the leaders in paying women better and producing shows with female protagonists, respectively, she said.

“We also talk about pay disparity but in the TV industry today, women are paid much higher than their male counterparts, which is a great thing because of the kind of work they do and I think in our TV industry, women rule. In OTT platforms too, the protagonists are mostly women, women issues are discussed.

“In the film industry, we are going there slowly but surely because it has been a male dominated industry since the beginning but there is definitely a change. Our women have broken the glass ceiling, we have entered every male bastion…,” the 48-year-old actor said, addressing the ‘Nari Shakti’ session, according to a PTI report.

Tandon said issues such as representation and pay disparity still plague the industry but with women in high places, change is on the way.

“… In the world today, there is a change because all the top positions, be it director of photography, our choreographers, our directors, producers, platform heads and channel heads are women.

“So the opportunities that we should be getting, we are getting that. A woman being at the helm of producing something, she understands those issues, she understands the sensitivity, she has the sensibilities so we get more opportunities,” the Padma Shri recipient said.

Tandon, known for films such as ‘Morphia’, ‘Daman’, ‘Maatr and web series ‘Aranyak’, said in the ’90s Hindi cinema actors would “struggle” to break their perceived image.

“There is a lot of change in the film industry that was not there in the 90s. You would get stereotyped for playing a certain character,” she said.

The actor, who won the National Film Award for playing a woman subjected to marital rape in the 2001 film ‘Daman’, said her filmography is a reflection of the social causes she supports.

Tandon said issues such as domestic violence and marital rape were brushed under the carpet and she struggled a lot while bringing out a story like ‘Daman’, directed by Kalpana Lajmi.

“I did not get any acceptance and faced a lot of struggle at that time but the film won the National Film Award and rightfully so because it was a film that was ahead of its time. And 23 years later, we are still discussing it (marital rape) even today,” she said.

The actor also congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prasar Bharti on the 100th episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’, the monthly radio programme, which is scheduled to be broadcast on April 30.

Terming ‘Mann Ki Baat’ a “genius idea” to communicate with Indians via radio, Tandon said the PM’s initiative puts spotlight on the unsung heroes of the country whose efforts often go unreported in the mainstream media.

‘National Conclave on Mann Ki Baat @100’, the one-day event, was yesterday inaugurated by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar here with Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur as the guest of honour.

Meanwhile, according to an official statement put out by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the discussion on ‘Nari Shakti’ and women empowerment was moderated by anchor and host Richa Anirudh, while the panel comprised retired IPS-turned-politician Kiran Bedi, para-athlete Deepa Malik, Founder and CEO of The Better India Dhimant Parekh, RJ Nitin, champion boxer Nikhat Zareen and mountaineer Poorna Malavath

Malavath, who is the world’s youngest girl to climb Mount Everest in 2014, completed the seven-summit mountaineering challenge in 2022 and was praised by Prime Minister Modi in ‘Mann Ki Baat’ in June 2022.

Talking about the significance of radio as a forum for change, RJ Nitin said he strongly believes in radio as an effective medium for change.

He added that it is a responsibility of men to ensure women are empowered and if “you truly love your mother and sister, then you will work for women empowerment”, ensuring all women are strong enough to find their own opportunities.

He said that radio is a good medium to spread the message far and wide and that is why the Prime Minister also chose this medium to communicate with the Indians at large.

Boxer Zareen admitted that when she first met the Prime Minister after winning a gold in the world championship, she was totally floored by the PM’s casual and calm personality. It did not feel as if she was meeting the PM of a country, but talking to an elder of her own family, she gushed.

“My father was the support behind my boxing… and the PM fulfilled my wish for a selfie and I met him again after the Commonwealth championship and gifted him boxing gloves as a token of appreciation… meeting the Prime Minister was a good experience and an inspiration as she comes from a village,” the champion athlete elaborated.

She added, “Uggtey hue suraj ko sab salaam kartey hai (everybody worships the rising sun) but our hon’ble Prime Minister motivates and inspires us at all times, winning or losing is not important and PM keeps motivating, inspiring and asking us to keep playing. This is a big quality in the Prime Minister.”