Earlier this year, Sonam Bajwa marked her Bollywood debut with Housefull 5. The film clocked big numbers at the box office but also received backlash for its portrayal of women. Many accused the makers
of objectifying the female characters and pointed out that it relied on jokes and situations that reduced women to stereotypes. They also argued that most punchlines targeted women’s bodies and the female characters lacked agency and were only meant to render the film its glamour quotient.
But Sonam’s happy to have started her Bollywood journey with it as she got to work with Akshay Kumar, Abhishek Bachchan and Riteish Deshmukh. Speaking to News18 Showsha, she, however, acknowledges the criticisms and says, “I’m not here to sit and judge why some people are saying these things. They absolutely have the right to express their opinions. But audiences do watch films where girls look extremely glamorous and don’t have the same weight in scenes when compared to the male actors.”
She continues, “I understand that every film has a space, genre and audience. I knew that Housefull is a big franchise and it would feature an ensemble cast including some big, experienced actors and that I may not have the chance to fully own the film. I was fully aware that I wouldn’t have an extensive role in it. But I was okay with that since it was my first Hindi film. I knew that in my next film Ek Deewani Ki Deewaniyat, people would get to see me in an intense role.”
Sonam admits that the film industry isn’t an easy space for women actors to navigate. And sustaining here requires one to take up roles where they may not get to do a lot of heavy lifting. “Sometimes, a female actor, especially, may have to do smaller roles with some impactful scenes over a film that’s shouldered by them or where they’re on an equal footing as their male co-star. So, I feel that women take longer to show their true potential as actors,” says the Carry On Jatta 3 and Honsla Rakh star.
While explaining her stance, she cites the example of Alia Bhatt, who began her career with Student Of The Year, but went on to prove her mettle with meatier and more complicated parts eventually. “Look at Alia Bhatt! What an amazing actor she is! We know the potential she has but in her first film, she played the quintessential Bollywood heroine,” says Sonam, whose Punjabi film Godday Godday Chaa won the National Award this year.
“Maybe people want to first see how we look or fit into a glamorous role. In Housefull 5, the girls have smaller roles but when I read my part, I realised that I’ve two-three scenes where I would get the chance to showcase my comic timing. And let me tell you that comedy isn’t an easy genre to crack. People may have felt like the girls were just there but I took it upon myself to showcase my potential even in that small role,” she adds.
