Shabana Azmi praises Zoya Akhtar for not objectifying Katrina Kaif: ‘She came out in bikini, but camera showed her only when…’

Javed, meanwhile, added to the discussion by stating that nobody would write such a line now. “There will be other things, yes. But this exact dialogue (Sasural ke ghar ka dukh bhi, maike ke sukh se achha lagta hai) won’t appear in a movie today. The template of sexism has changed because society has changed,” he pointed out during a conversation with Mojo Story.

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The legendary screenwriter-lyricist also maintained that society influences cinema, and vice versa, isn’t the case. He added, “Somebody once very wisely said, ‘Show me the advertisements of a society, I will tell you everything about it.’ Cinema is a manifestation. Cinema is not the cause; it is the effect. Today’s cinema reflects the morality and aspirations of contemporary society. Director Bimal Roy’s Do Bigha Zamin (1953) was released at a time when people, particularly the middle class, were very much connected with the small villages. It was a big hit then. But if you make Do Bigha Zamin today, people will not watch it because they have no connection with rural India. By looking at films, you can guess what’s happening in society. Society influences cinema, not vice versa.”

During the conversation, Shabana also addressed the topic of objectification of women, particularly through item numbers. “How the camera moves over the body (of a woman) decides what the intention of the director is. In an item number, a woman loses all control and surrenders to the male gaze. So, she is objectifying herself. And some of the lyrics they sing, I find them extremely uncomfortable. Yet, a lot of women say, ‘If men can do such things, why can’t we?’ Just because men are willing to be objectified, why should you be too? I have a very big problem with that.”

She further pointed out that many times, such songs serve no purpose in a film’s overall narrative. “It’s often a thing by itself. What then worries me is society’s reaction to it. You see little children singing songs like ‘Choli Ke Peeche’ at events, and people around laughing and encouraging them. So, you are falling into the trap that’s been built for you.”

Shabana also lauded her stepdaughter Zoya Akhtar for portraying Katrina Kaif without objectifying her in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011), in contrast to the norm set by male filmmakers. “Katrina plays a diving instructor in the movie. She comes out of the water, dripping, wearing a bikini. Here, the camera holds her in long-shot. Once she wears her bathrobe, the camera goes for a close-up. Zoya could have chosen (a close-up) to go from her legs to her face, and objectify her. But the way she kept the camera made her into a working girl, doing what she had to do. You need that kind of sensitivity.”