The three ladies of Dil Dhadakne Do, Zoya Akhtar, Priyanka Chopra and Anushka Sharma reveal how the film talks about gender equality. By Divya Kaushik
Zoya Akhtar, Priyanka Chopra and Anushka Sharma — together they were a force speaking strongly for women equality at the IIFA premise. The director and the two leading ladies of Dil Dhadakne Do were present with the entire team for the gala screening of the film. Priyanka said that her character represents most women in India, who are as qualified, educated and as talented as men in their families but are still not allowed equal rights. “Ayesha represents more women in India where you are still put in a box if you are a woman. If you are a girl you are supposed to be in a certain way. like most women in India, Ayesha is not someone who is very verbal about her choices but she maintains silence as her strength. She goes her own way without being a rebel. I come from a conservative, educated Punjabi family and even I faced a lot of resistance initially since I was going to be in Bollywood, but my parents were supportive. Not everyone is that lucky. I just hope that my character inspires women and take forward a very strong message of equality in our families,” said Priyanka, whose role in Mary Kom was based on a real life story but was all about giving women an equal opportunity.
Anushka plays the character of a woman who comes from a ‘not-so-affluent’ conservative family that is against her being a dancer. She runs from her home to pursue her dreams. “Of course we are not encouraging anyone to run from home but an important message is that one should follow their passion, brave the barriers and be what they want. Zoya has touched these sensitive issues in a very touching story,” said Anushka.
The film paints an interesting picture of dual lives most affluent families live in metros. The filmmaker said that she also wanted to present a brother-sister relationship. “I always felt that a brother-sister relationship has not been well represented in India. It’s always wrapped in rituals... never what it really is. I wanted to showcase the reality and fun of it. The inspiration came from that idea,” said Zoya.