Veteran actor Kitu Gidwani, who has worked in both films and television for more than four decades, has criticised the way Bollywood treats artistes. The actor has raised concerns over royalties, intellectual property rights and limited roles offered to women as they grow older.
Sitting down for an interview with Screen, Kitu described Bollywood as a “fake industry” and said it operates according to its own “vague rules”.
She also compared the Indian entertainment industry with the West, particularly when it comes to protecting artistes and ensuring they benefit from their work.
Talking about how several musicians have been fighting for unpaid royalties, Kitu said actors faced similar challenges. She also pointed out the absence of an equivalent of Hollywood’s Screen Actors Guild in India.
“Bollywood is not a real industry; it’s a cottage industry. It’s a fake industry; it goes by its own vague rules. There is nothing like Hollywood’s Screen Actors Guild in India. I should have been able to work for 10 years and then live off my royalties for the next 10 years, not slog for 40 years,” Kitu said.
She further criticised the lack of intellectual property and creative rights for artistes in India, saying, “Intellectual property rights and creative rights are zero in India. You don’t have rights over your work. The producer gives you and the director a one-time fee, and then he can do what he wants with the property. It’s not like that anywhere in the world.”
Kitu also spoke about the lack of strong and diverse roles for older women in the entertainment industry. She said women should not be restricted to stereotypical characters such as mothers or aunts as they age.
“My grouse against the industry is that older women are not getting powerful roles. We don’t want to play the generic mother or maasi. We want to play good, enduring roles with sex, love, power, comedy, and action,” she said.
She also criticised the portrayal of women in television serials, pointing out, “In daily soaps, once a woman hits 30, she becomes a daadi. She has no signs of ageing on her face, but she gets such roles. This industry is very bizarre.”
Kitu stepped into the lights-camera-action world in 1984 with the film Holi, which also featured Aamir Khan, Ashutosh Gowariker, Om Puri and others. But it was her role in the TV series Air Hostess, which aired on Doordarshan in 1986, that skyrocketed her to success.
She then played Svetlana in Swabhimaan, which made her a household name. Later, she came to be known for her role as Geeta Vishwas in Shaktimaan.
Apart from television, Kitu has also received critical acclaim for her performances in films such as Dance of the Wind (1997), Deepa Mehta’s Earth (1998), Govind Nihalani’s Rukhmavati Ki Haveli (1991), Fashion, Kamal Haasan’s Abhay, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, and Deham (2001).
