JOIN USActor Kalki Koechlin feels it is unfortunate that the word feminism has gathered a lot of negative feedback, with many people not even realising its true meaning. The actor says people often associate feminism with “ranting women” who hate men.
“There is a misunderstanding and lack of awareness about the word. Feminism seems to be tagged as a bunch of ranting women or women who are against men. The word feminism is about the equality of gender. A lot of people are feminist but they don’t even realise it,” said Kalki.
Several people within the industry have been divided over feminism, often saying that they belive in gender equality but are not feminist. The 33-year-old actor says the focus now should be on making the word cool again.
“I think some people (within the industry) don’t realise what it means. The term feminism has got so much negative feedback. I think now it’s about making the word cool again,” she said.
Kalki says bringing gender equality in cinema requires no less than a social movement.
“It changes with time, it is about a social movement. I personally wait for those scripts. I am greedy for good roles, if it’s not happening, I will write something. As an artiste, I need to keep expressing myself. But for it to become a real movement, there needs to be social awareness. Everyone needs to cone together," she added.
Kalki, who is gearing up for her latest release ‘Mantra’, says things are changing within the commercial cinema space by introducing strong female characters.