Saiyami Kher Believes Men Can Make Womencentric Films As Well

Actress Saiyami Kher recently welcomed the fact that there are more women on film sets, while also insisting that women are on equal terms with their opposite gender, regardless of the director.

In an interview with Hindustan Times, Kher said, “So many female filmmakers have now come to the fore... It has resulted in a change in storytelling with many women stories being told.”

But the 29-year-old actress believes her experience while working with them is no different when compared to her male directors: “I’ve worked with Neeraj Pandey, Anurag Kashyap and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra (filmmakers), who understand women issues as much as we do. Gender has no role to play in treating a subject sensitively. Ashwiny ma’am is very particular about choosing costumes for her characters. That’s the only aesthetic difference I felt.”

Explaining her thoughts on the importance of women stories being told by women, she said, “I don’t think we can put a blanket on it... ‘Queen’ (2013) and ‘Choked’ (2020) were made by male directors but the way they helmed those stories of women characters was beautiful. Likewise, Zoya Akhtar (filmmaker) portrays male friendships so beautifully. It’s great that everyone, irrespective of their gender, is at par with one another.”

Talking about her upcoming projects and the pandemic, Kher said that, “Everything has been so uncertain in the past few years. But in 2020, I had four releases. In 2021, I shot for five projects. There has been an increase in the consumption of OTT content, and that has opened avenues for a lot of people,” Kher ends.

In her upcoming projects, Kher will be seen collaborating with filmmakers Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and Tahira Kashyap Khurrana. 

Talking about her experience with Tiwari, Kher had earlier said, “They say what’s meant to be, will always find a way. That’s how I feel about ‘Faadu’. Collaborating with Ashwiny was on my to-do list. She has done spectacular work with ‘Nil Battey Sannata’, ‘Bareilly ki Barfii’, and ‘Panga’. I feel assured that I am in safe hands.”