Mumbai, July 19, 2026
Actress Tillotama Shome, who was recently seen in the Sunny Deol starrer “Ikka,” has opened up about the ongoing debate around women-led films.
Speaking exclusively to IANS, she questioned the gender bias often associated with their box office performance. Tillotama highlighted that the success or failure of a film should be judged on the project itself rather than being linked to the gender of its lead actor. Speaking about why women-centric films are often scrutinized when they do not perform well commercially, Tillotama questioned why the same level of discussion is not applied to male-led films that fail at the box office.
When asked why women-centric films are often questioned for their box office performance despite the rise of women-led stories on OTT platforms, Tillotama Shome questioned the double standards and said, “Why don’t we ask men the same thing?”
Tillotama said, “Many male-led films also fail at the box office, yet male actors are rarely questioned about whether films led by men are working. On the other hand, if one women-led film underperforms, it immediately becomes a discussion about whether women-centric cinema works. There have been successful films led by actresses like Kangana Ranaut, Taapsee Pannu, Vidya Balan, and Alia Bhatt, just as there have been unsuccessful films starring male actors. Success and failure belong to films, not to gender.”
“Even our language reflects this bias. We constantly say ‘female director,’ ‘female producer,’ or ‘female actor.’ Why not simply say director, producer, or actor? In many countries, actors are simply called actors regardless of gender. Women make up half the population. We shouldn’t be treated as an exception. When a film fails, it is the responsibility of everyone involved — the filmmaker, the actors, and the audience — not an entire gender,” she added.
In “Ikka,” directed by Imtiaz Ali, Tillotama Shome essayed the role of Madhura Banerjee, a determined public prosecutor who faces off against Sunny Deol’s character, Arjun Mehra, a defense attorney, in the courtroom drama. Directed and produced by Siddharth P. Malhotra, the crime thriller premiered on Netflix on 10 July.(Agency)
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