Bollywood director and producer Karan Johar in a recent interview with She The People apologized to objectifying women in item songs in his films.
Some of the item songs in his films include “Chikni Chameli” featuring Katrina Kaif, “Shut up and Bounce” with Shilpa Shetty and “Mera Naam Mary” featuring Kareena Kapoor.
However, Johar now regrets his decision as he feels that the songs objectified women and believes that item numbers need to go.
“The moment you put a woman in the centre and a thousand men looking at her lustingly, it’s setting the wrong example. As a filmmaker, I have made those mistakes and I will never do it again,” said Karan during the interview.
He talked about why and how films played a big role in doing away with gender stereotypes and that the industry finally is taking notice of that.
“Films set the fabric of our times. They can be immensely impressionable. When you show a man chasing a woman, it seems like the hero is so passionately in love but it could amount to stalking. When you show a man being abusive to a woman, you think he is being angry but no, he is being wrong. Things you show on celluloid sometimes set a template. So as filmmakers, we need to be very responsible. Sometimes you don’t realise the things you write or project, but you don’t know that they will actually impact society.”
When asked what feminism meant to him, Karan said it was his inherent value considering he grew up amidst a strong mother and powerful aunts.
“For me, feminism is beyond what we know it is. It’s hard for one word to encapsulate the power of a woman. Having the been raised by a wonderful and progressive woman, my mom and even my aunts, I think progressiveness was in my DNA. To me, it’s my instinct to be a feminist…to have a progressive stance on what woman can achieve in the world. I am a total feminist.”
On the issue of pay gaps in the entertainment industry, Karan said, “I think this conversation is very integral and it’s bringing truths to the surface.”
“It’s about a trajectory that everyone conforms to, which is as a result of the balance sheets they see. When a Shah Rukh Khan film does an X amount and opens to that number on a Friday, you know that’s why he gets that kind of money. But I am sure if a woman opened to that number, she would be totally achieving that. But then you would argue you don’t give women a chance. And that is yes a point of argument. Everything big scale invariably is held by a man. But everything is changing. Tomorrow is about content. Wonder Woman for example. It was in line with the boys, right up there with all-male superhero films. Yes, it is going to all change,” he concluded.