The word ‘feminism’ often ignites heated arguments and leaves people divided. It’s frustrating because the movement is simply about equality for everyone. But many people still view it negatively. Many films and web series also keep showing feminist characters in the same clichéd way. In a recent interview with Hauterrfly’s The Male Feminist hosted by Siddhaarth Aalambayan, Huma Qureshi opened up about this stereotype. So, read on to know what she said.
Huma Qureshi Calls Out Cliché Portrayal Of Feminist Women On Screen
During their conversation, the host pointed out how films often show a feminist with coloured hair, a black kurta, and more. Huma Qureshi quickly nodded and said that is exactly the problem. She proudly spoke about her hit show Maharani and its main character, Rani Bharti. “That’s what is the strength of a show like Maharani. That’s why she gets so much love. Because it’s very easy when you play the character of a Bihar woman; character-wise, you make her regressive. That’s it. It’s very easy. Or you make her far away from the tradition. Of course, it’s a very popular show. You get a lot of love. But when the show came out in the beginning, all the English media ignored it, and we became depressed. But, after a few days, people started messaging me and numbers came in. So then we were like, ‘No, no, this is huge.’ And now four years later today I understand when Rani Bharti goes and talks about women’s rights and representation, she doesn’t suddenly become this cigarette-smoking person. She’s still Rani Bharti.”
The actor also spoke about how the word “feminist” scares so many people today. “We’re making it very negative. It’s getting misconstrued. Being a feminist, male or female, is not a bad thing. It’s a very good thing. What are we talking about? We’re saying, ‘Give everyone equal opportunity. Treat everyone normally whether you’re a boy or a girl.”
Huma Qureshi recently won hearts again in Maharani Season 4 and Delhi Crime Season 3.
You can watch the entire video below!