Women can be patriarchal and men can be feminists: Rasika Dugal

“We still have a long way to go in the way we portray female desire. Sometimes, even the most well-written or (at least) well-meaning scripts end up with sexualised images/ visuals”

Known for her stellar performances in films and series like

Qissa

,

Hamid

,

Manto

and

Delhi Crime

, Rasika Dugal doesn’t limit herself to certain genres as an actor. But does society impose its own set of restrictions on women? On the occasion of Women’s Day, the actress discusses the gender dynamics as seen in her day to day life and career.

Sexism and gender disparity are seen in everyday life, in little things and not just pay packages. As a film critic, I have been subjected to sexist comments like why would a woman review science fiction or superhero films? Those films are only made for men. Have you encountered anything like this at your home or workplace?
All the time! When you live in a patriarchal society like ours; sexism or gender disparity, unfortunately, becomes a part of your life. This everyday-ness of it scarily enough normalizes it and also leads to many women internalising it. Discrimination is in the smaller things and allowing everyday discrimination to go unchecked, in my opinion, ultimately leads to bigger gender crimes. The problem with gender discrimination (or any kind of discrimination) is that it's so subtle that it's hard to fight or even identify. Isn't it ever so often at home or in the workplace that we are told to not ‘be uptight' or not 'make a big deal ' or ' just chill' about things that we might think are discriminatory? So, yes, I have encountered it, continue to encounter it, and still struggle to identify it and to find ways to call it out. I just want to tell women, ‘Do it your way and have lots of fun. The journey might be tough, but it is your own.’

Feminism gets misconstrued a lot, isn’t it? It certainly isn’t limited to a particular gender.
I completely agree. Feminism isn't limited to a particular gender and, unfortunately, neither is patriarchy. Women can be patriarchal and men can be feminists. People of all genders are impacted by patriarchy and can equally be empowered by feminism. I have been very inspired by some of the people I have had an opportunity to work with - Anup Singh, Mira Nair, Richie Mehta and Nandita Das for what they bring to their work and for the people they are. Their skill, sensitivity and sense of detail have been both moving and magical. I am also hugely inspired by the women I grew up with — my grandmother, mother and aunts. They're women who made very traditional choices but lived with the consequences of their decisions with so much grace and dignity. Growing up, I don't think I valued that enough. I took them as much for granted as anyone else around me. In my college years, when I became conscious of my feminism, I might have even dismissed their choices to not be as 'woke' as mine. But I soon realised the strength and resilience it took to always be there for the people around you and in a way that did not compromise your self-respect even though sometimes that had to be negotiated. I will always have respect for that.

Is there any change that you would like to see in the depiction of woman in cinema or web series?
I think that storytelling is transforming every day and it's heartening to see that not only are there more important parts for women now than there used to be but that the writing of female parts is increasingly getting more nuanced. Scripts are now exploring and celebrating femininity and having a female protagonist helming a show/film is no longer just an act of tokenism. However, I think, we still have a long way to go in the way we portray female desire. Sometimes, even the most well-written or (at least) well-meaning scripts end up with sexualised images/ visuals. Possibly because of deeply-ingrained and long-standing references. Even with the best intentions, I feel, we are finding it hard to break away from those.