Ek Villain Returns actor Tara Sutaria opens up on how small changes can bring more gender equality in Bollywood

Ek Villain Returns is gearing up to hit the silver screens in less than a week, on July 29. The film will see Tara Sutaria in a lead role along with Arjun Kapoor, John Abraham and Disha Patani. Tara recently opened up about the instances of gender inequality she witnessed in Bollywood at present.

In conversation with Pinkvilla, the actress spoke of how she was fortunate enough to have grown up in a home with many strong, opinionated women. Speaking of how the women in her home were treated as ‘equals’ and given due respect, Tara said that she had never really understood the notion of ‘inequality’ due to her upbringing. But the actress revealed that she was well aware of how inequality persists in Bollywood, saying that she had experienced it personally.

The actress gave an example of the way male and female celebrities were treated differently by paparazzi. While the male celebrities were often referred to as ‘sir’, the female stars would not be called ‘madam’ even if they were the same age. Elaborating on the same, Tara said that she wasn't making a case that female celebrities should be called ‘ji’ or ‘madam’. Rather, this behaviour of paps pointed to how generally men are treated with more respect in the industry.

However, Tara is hopeful that the situation is changing, albeit slowly. She said that big changes will come with small things, saying that small changes could ‘move mountains’. “It doesn't need to be some huge conversation about the big things that we are doing wrong. It can be about small things and small differences we can make”, she said. The actress also added that if things were the other way around and a man was going through the same, things would change at a much faster rate.