Konkona Sen Sharma opens up on casual sexism in Bollywood: 'Call it out, even if it's just a joke'

Hindustan Times

a day ago

Actor-director Konkona Sen Sharma has spoken candidly about navigating casual sexism in the film industry. In a recent interview, she stressed the importance of addressing problematic behaviour, even when it comes masked as humour or within personal circles. In a recent interview, Konkona Sensharma highlights the importance of confronting casual sexism in the film industry, urging people to call out problematic behaviour.(AFP)
Things must change, says Konkona
In an interview with Zoom, Konkona reflected on her own journey as both an actor and a filmmaker. She acknowledged that while she has encountered instances of sexism, her experience has been relatively less intense compared to many others. She said that her smoother path as a director was partly due to her existing recognition as an actor and her unique background in the industry.
"One has to be able to recognise that it's very wrong and bad and that things must change. I feel it's very important to call it out, even among friends, because there are a lot of things we normalise, like the words we use or the way we speak about people. I think you have to call it out every single time, even if it sounds boring or even if it's "just a joke." I always say it—even as a joke, I would like to call it out, and I do say it as much as possible," Konkana said.
Konkona on growing a thick skin
While advocating for change, Konkona acknowledged the harsh realities of working in a biased environment.
"To a certain extent, you do have to grow a bit of a thick skin because you still have to do what you set out to do. You can't let other people's bad behaviour stop you, even though they shouldn't behave like that, and you shouldn't have to compensate for their behaviour, but practically speaking, that's how it is. So I do think it's important to call it out, especially among our own friends and circles, and to look out for other people."
Konkona's latest work
Konkona was last seen in Anurag Basu's Metro In Dino, which released in theatres on 4 July. The film also features Sara Ali Khan, Aditya Roy Kapur, Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Anupam Kher and Neena Gupta. Backed by Bhushan Kumar's T-Series, the film offers an emotionally layered take on modern relationships.