Actor, husband Javed Akhtar engage Greater Philadelphia community in gender conversation.
AB Wire
PHILADELPHIA: Prominent Indian actor and social activist Shabana Azmi criticized the so-called “item numbers,” saying that it leads to objectification of women and “sexualization of children.”
“Item numbers, in most cases, have nothing to do with the film,” she said, speaking at a conversation on gender roles and women’s empowerment in India hosted by the Philadelphia chapter of the American India Foundation (AIF), on April 3. Her husband and renowned lyricist, Javed Akhtar, also spoke at the event.
“The way that they are shot, with focus on particular parts of a woman’s body are downright extreme,” Azmi said. “I don’t have a problem with celebration of sensuality, however these objectify the woman to the extent of commodification. What troubles me the most is that we let our little girls dance to these songs at weddings etc.- imitating the same obscene dance moves. This leads to the sexualization of children.”
An item number is song shown in a movie in order to increase the marketability of the film. They often contain sexualized visuals and suggestive lyrics.
The actor also expressed her distaste for the romanticization of stalking in Hindi movies, and emphasized that modern cinema must play a larger focus on the issue of consent.
The conversation, moderated by AIF Clinton Fellow and young social entrepreneur Nafessa Kasim, delved into issues of gender inequity and the imbalance of gender roles and power that continue to persist throughout the Indian landscape, despite India’s advancement in recent years, while reminding everyone that this is a universal issue. Besides taking a critical look at the portrayal of women in Bollywood movies, a number of important issues came up, including, upbringing of women in Indian societies, as well as Azmi’s thoughts on her roles in unconventional films like Fire and Arth.
Akhtar brought out the gender perspective from a man’s point of view.
“The biggest problem with India is the fact that at any given time, India exists in three generations,” said the former Rajya Sabha MP. “Indians today continue to dwell in the patriarchy that was created through the laws that existed through the feudal era, which did not recognize women as equals, and thereby gave them no financial or social rights.”
AIF’s Dr. Kavita Gupta also spoke at the meet and highlighted the work and vision of the Philadelphia chapter. Dr. Sanjay Gupta summed up the evening and presented a plaque to Azmi.
Other members of the event host committee, including Rani Emandi, Ashghar Kazim, Erum Khan, Arshad Hussain and Prema Roddam were also present. Venky Raghavendra, Senior Director of AIF, shared the organization’s mission and vision, and highlighted its strong gender focus across all its signature programs.
The event was attended by of a diverse group of individuals, including from the Indian diaspora, gender activists, academics and AIF supporters from the Greater Philadelphia area.
Azmi and Akhtar are in the United States to stage “Kaifi Aur Main,” a play which is centered on the lives of Shaukat and Kaifi Azmi, parents of Shabana Azmi.