Shabana Azmi Says Don’t Fragment Women’s Body With Camera Angles

Veteran actress and activist Shabana Azmi says filmmakers should be more responsible in the depiction of women’s body on screen because the business of cinema is of images.

The actress, who was present here on Monday on a panel discussion at “Ficci Frames 2018”, was asked about her opinion on actresses who practice their right of “my body, my choice”, especially in item numbers in Bollywood films.

Azmi said: “When a leading lady says that ‘it’s alright, I want to celebrate my sensuality in those songs’, I have no problem with that. But under the pretense of ‘celebrating your sensuality’ what you are actually doing is surrendering to the male gaze and objectifying yourselves because the business of cinema is of images.”

“When you see the fragmented bits of a woman’s body, you see heaving bosom, swinging navel, shaking hips… you are robbing the woman of all autonomy, completely,” she explained.