'Gender equality does not exist'

Kannada film ‘Urvi’ which released on Friday celebrates womanhood in all its glory.
Actor Sruthi Hariharan, who plays one of the three protagonists, is keeping her fingers crossed. She hopes that all the hardwork, honesty and love put into making the movie will pay off.

‘Shuddhi’, another women-centric film, was also released on Friday and Sruthi is excited to see  how the audience will react to these films. She feels the response to these two films could change the way movies are made and could immensely alter the choice of subjects in the Kannada film industry. 

In an interview with Nina C George, the actor talks about the making of ‘Urvi’.    

What do you think about two women-oriented films releasing on the same day?
It is crucial to see how the audience will react to these two films. If it is positive, then women will not be limited to just being heroines on screen but will have a
decisive role in taking the film forward.

How will these films impact the industry?
Both these films will surely set a new trend in the Kannada film industry.  ‘Lucia’ brought about a huge change and now ‘Urvi’ will follow suit. There’s always an audience for meaningful cinema, irrespective of the language.

Tell us about the three women in the movie...  
I play the character Asha who represents hope and the power of the mind. Shraddha Srinath represents ‘bhakti’, which is love, and Shwetha represents ‘shakti’, which is the physical strength. The coming together of these three powers make a complete human being.

Is the film a celebration of womanhood?
Yes, it is. ‘Urvi’ is also about women finding their freedom, voice and independence. The film explores issues such as sex trafficking and prostitution. Here, we try to tell
people why they don’t have to be mute spectators to these two problems.

Does the film touch upon gender equality?  
It does in some way but I believe that gender equality does not exist. There has been a change in the way women have been treated in the last couple of years.

Today, we see women holding high positions. But a woman has to strike a balance between chasing her career ambition and running a home. At some point, she has to make tough choices and compromises.