Vidya Balan is currently gearing up for the release of her upcoming film, 'Begum Jaan'. Vidya, who is known for her fierce portrayals, will be seen playing a brothel owner in this partition-era drama. Talking about her character of Begum Jaan in the film, Vidya said, "Begum Jaan is a lone soldier. She doesn't need collective reinforcement at all. At some point in the film, she tells these girls, go away, I will deal with this on my own. Change or empowerment is very, very personal. I detest calling Begum Jaan a film about women's empowerment. It's a very personal journey. You have to discover your own strength."
Though viewed as unfeminine, Vidya says Begum Jaan knows her strengths and knows how to play them. "There can be some triggers; that alters you. But Begum Jaan is far ahead in her understanding. I don't think she knew the word 'feminism' or cared for it even if she did. Because I have not seen a more consummate woman on screen. As long as it serves her purpose, she is servile with the raja, then she says, I can't help you anymore. Because if you don't serve my purpose, I don't serve yours. Simple. What we understand as feminine - she has not traded that. So far, most people associate power with a man or the masculine energy. So the moment someone is exuding power, you say she is like a man. She is absolutely hard," Vidya asserted.
In fact, earlier when Vidya was asked if a brothel-owner can be a feminist, Vidya had maintained that someone who runs a brothel could very well be a feminist! So when further quizzed if Begum Jaan can be considered as a paragon of 'empowered feminism' for the women in the country, Vidya brushed it off saying, "'Empowered' and 'feminism' are much-abused words today."
However, like Begum Jaan, powerful women in Indian politics, tend to hold the positions of power when they are either single or widowed, to this Vidya quipped, "Which is why I'm saying - does she stand alone because she is powerful... or is she powerful because she stands alone? It's so interesting. It was only after MGR passed away that Jayalalithaa became powerful. It was after Kanshi Ram that Mayawati became powerful."
CREDITS: DELHI TIMES