New Age Woman Is Here: Madhuri Dixit Discusses Changing Nature of Roles For Women

Madhuri Dixit's role in the recently released Maja Ma was trailblazing to a great extent. The actor, who played the character of a closeted person belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community, is garnering positive attention for her choice of role and performance in the film. The audience's acceptance of Dixit's role and the film comes as an encouraging attempt at pushing the industry to write stronger roles for women across OTT and cinema.

In an interview with SheThePeople.TV, Madhuri Dixit discusses how she came around to accepting the role, the dominance of women across OTT, and why the audience's acceptance of female actors in strong roles reflects a positive shift in the industry.

Madhuri Dixit On Women In Films

Madhuri Dixit, who played Pallavi Patel, the archetypal family person who is a loyal wife and a doting mother, is intimately associated with the essence of the character as a whole. Choosing to play a role like this was monumental for Dixit because she had never played a character like this in her long-standing career before. Dixit believes it's just not her choosing better roles which is significant, it is also the industry's effort to write empowering roles for women that should be appreciated. "The new age woman is here, and it is amazing to see that in all respects in the way we're writing and making films today," she says.

Suggested Reading: Madhuri Dixit, Anand Tiwari Discuss Maja Ma, Its Spirit Of Acceptance And Diversity

Dixit further adds that it is refreshing to see that women are no more just limited to playing vamps on screen who are seeking revenge all the time, something that women actors were highly stereotyped for. "Earlier there used to be these scripts where women were seen planning and plotting revenge on with no other agenda. Their character portrayal was limited to this aspect, and it was important to break this mould and write diverse roles for female actors, whether it was for protagonists or antagonists, and it's great the filmmakers have been seeing to this and forging the path of change."

Madhuri Dixit in a still from the trailer

Welcoming the change of stronger, diverse roles for women in the industry

Madhuri Dixit chose to play a mother of two and a closeted LGBTQIA+ person in Maja Ma, a part that an actor of her stature has taken a major, progressive leap that would pave the way for additional improvements. Dixit believes that the evolution of the industry's portrayal of women in an upward, more powerful direction reflects the growth of the real world. Women, according to Dixit, are not constrained to a specific projection; they are playing major and diverse characters, carrying films and performances on their shoulders, and doing it successfully. "Women are taking centre stage, particularly on OTT platforms. We see them in significant roles from various areas of life; someone is a glorified mathematician, a sportswoman, a businesswoman, and so on. We're seeing a new-age woman, which is incredible," she says.

“The audience wants to be a part of the significant conversation, and it is reflecting how cinema is being made today. “

Dixit also points out that there can never be a reflecting change without the audience. Signifying how 'life imitates art and art imitates life,' Dixit observes that the development of society has an impact on how cinema is made nowadays.

She stresses on the wide range of issues and real-life anecdotes being adapted in stories across OTT platforms and films and that, she adds, only shows how the audience is demanding the content. "Look at OTT platforms, where we're seeing a variety of issues and genres being tried, and I feel the audience is evolving as well. They're accepting varied genres because they want certain concerns to be addressed from new viewpoints," she reflects.