Madhuri Dixit denies restrictions on married actresses
21 Feb – Actress Madhuri Dixit, who recently appeared in the film "Dedh Ishqiya" and performed with Bollywood King Shah Rukh Khan in his recent "Temptations Reloaded" concert tour in Malaysia, believes that actresses who continue to work after marriage does not have a short shelf-life.
According to Digital Spy, the 46-year-old actress does not buy into the rumours that actresses will pose problems when they continue to work after marriage or that they can't get work post-marriage.
Madhuri, who took a break herself from films after she got married, explained, "Age is just a number according to me, talent is the same whether you are 10, 20 or 100. I think it gets better with age. I also don't believe in the myth about married actresses. I think it is crazy.
"Sharmila Tagore worked after marriage, Rekhaji worked after marriage. Yes, some of them quit but that was their own decision. There were so many who did work. There are no hard and fast rules," she added.
The actress felt that compared to earlier times, women now have a bigger say in the industry, thanks to the feminist movement.
"There was a time in films when I never saw a female assistant director, camera person or make-up person. There were very few women directors who you could count on your fingers. Now there are so many women working in different aspects of filmmaking."
She also credited contemporary directors for embracing different sensibilities.
"The new age directors see women in a different light and write good roles for women. They are no longer caricatures of say an avenger, a victim, or an eye candy. They are people, they are characters."
"What is amazing is that this is happening in mainstream. I liked what Deepika [Padukone] did in "Cocktail" and "Chennai Express". I like this change and I think it is in the right direction," she said.
Madhuri will next appear in "Gulaab Gang" playing a vigilante who leads a group of women to fight social injustices while working towards the empowerment of women through education. The film is slated for release on 7 March.
