Dia Mirza has asserted what we all have been saying and thinking for a very long time.
The short shelf-life of Indian actresses, especially in comparison to their male counterparts – which reeks to an inherent gender-based ageism or sexism within the film industry.
We have often seen how people complaining about how a 50 something actor is seen romancing a newcomer 19-something female, and that has been turned into a norm in such a way – that it has affected the work opportunities of female actors who’re beyond 45.
Case in point:
Dia, who’s always been outspoken about her opinions on showbiz and beyond, agrees with that notion.
In a recent interview with ETimes/Times Of India, the actress called-out this sexism in the film industry, stating that several actresses are struggling because of how less work is left for them beyond a certain age.
Here’s what she was quoted telling the publication:
“The industry is male-dominated. Older men like to be cast opposite younger women to extend their own shelf life. It is bizarre that a 50 plus something actor is acting opposite a 19-year-old actress.”
View this post on Instagram
She further added:
“The idea of beauty is always associated with youthfulness. I think that is why there is a large interest in consuming younger faces… But there are a lot of actresses in their middle ages who are struggling and aren’t being cast because no stories are being written for them.”
Dia also stated that she does believe that there has been a slight change to this, thanks to new-age filmmakers and OTT platforms – that have started concentrating on content-driven cinema and web-series, giving opportunities to many talents.
View this post on Instagram
And once again, we couldn’t agree more with this beauty with brains!