Megastar Madhuri Dixit & Oscar Winning Director Guneet Monga celebrate the journey of women in Indian Cinema at the IIFA Awards 2025 Jaipur Fest. The leading ladies talk about some fabulous female-lead films & the initiative to make such movies more often! #madhuridixit #guneetmonga #iifaawards2025jaipur
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00:00This is for you, this is for you.
00:27Hello.
00:29Nisha, Pooja, Chandramukhi.
00:32Mohini, of course.
00:34Wow.
00:37So, I'd like to start this journey.
00:39Of course, Madhuri ji, can you say a few words?
00:41Because everybody has been waiting impatiently to see you here on stage.
00:46Well, good evening everyone and thank you so much for having me here.
00:50IFAW awards 25 years of art, cinema, of tradition, culture.
00:57Taking our cinema to the international audience and celebrating cinema.
01:0725 years of that, so congratulations.
01:09And thank you for all of you for coming here today and being with us.
01:14And happy to be a part of this discussion.
01:18Women-led and the film is called only Stree 2.
01:23And there was Babi last year.
01:26So, I just think that there are full possibilities of breaking the box office.
01:30There are full possibilities of creating those moments.
01:34No, I think that happens.
01:35Like when I did, say, a Raja, people said it should have been called a Rani.
01:39Or I did Beta, it should have been called Beti.
01:41But it all is words, you know.
01:43When will it actually happen?
01:45That is the question.
01:46It did happen at one point in my life.
01:49But does it, is it a regular happening?
01:53I don't know.
01:54It's very rare.
01:56So, that's why I was like, last year Babi and Stree 2, that happened.
02:00That these two films broke the box office there and here.
02:03One needs to do more.
02:05One needs to take more chances.
02:07And to be able to do that, there is clearly a pay gap.
02:11There is clearly a difference.
02:14And absolutely, women have to do it ten times to be doing it once.
02:18Also, to be constantly, you know, be supported by actors.
02:26It's very hard.
02:27But I just feel like, I genuinely want men actors to answer this question.
02:34I just feel like the onus of answering these questions on women is very strange.
02:38Because we are anyways the people who are...
02:44On the receiving end of this.
02:45On the receiving end.
02:46And then to comment, you know, on that.
02:49What we can do is create more.
02:53Create more opportunities, do more.
02:55There is no shortcut of doing more.
02:57And we've seen some examples.
02:59Like Stree 2 is an incredible example.
03:01It's the highest box office Hindi language film to date.
03:05You know, so there is so much power in just doing that.
03:09And doing more of that hopefully.
03:11And in 3 years, 5 years, 10 years, we have more examples of that.
03:15It will become a norm.
03:17I hope so.
03:18I'd like to dream.
03:19We all do.
03:20And like I just mentioned.
03:22Thank you for being part of that.
03:24So when we started this, I explained that I can make a difference.
03:28Along with Shobha, have been championing.
03:31Because Shobha actually has a school in Kerala.
03:34For girls.
03:35For educating them.
03:36For giving the step.
03:37And laying the foundation to build a career.
03:40In terms of what do you think one of those small steps can be.
03:45For somebody who is just starting out in their career.
03:47But could hopefully lead them to making a big difference.
03:51Just if it had to be one thing to motivate them.
03:54Keep creating.
03:56There is no shortcut.
03:57Write every weekend.
03:58Shoot every weekend.
04:00Build your tribe.
04:01Don't wait for validation.
04:04For who?
04:05Don't wait for.
04:06You will meet your people.
04:08You will make two bad things.
04:10Your third thing will be better.
04:12Keep creating.
04:14And I really, really always give Kartikey Gonsalves as example.
04:18She is a natural history photographer.
04:21She directed Elephant Whisperers.
04:23And she has never been on a film set.
04:26She has not come in as an AD.
04:28She was a photographer.
04:29And found a story.
04:31Made a pitch trailer.
04:33Sent that as a cold email to Netflix.
04:36To us at Sikhya.
04:38And that led to creating and starting a team coming together for Elephant Whispers.
04:44To making Kartikey Gonsalves as the first female director to win an Oscar.
04:50You know that's because she didn't think that there was any road block.
04:55She didn't think that it was not possible.
04:57She just fell in love with the story.
04:59And stayed true to that.
05:00And stayed true to that journey.
05:02And she believed in that whole story.
05:04And then she created something.
05:06She created a pitch trailer on her own.
05:08And pitched a pitch trailer.
05:09Not like with a script or something.
05:11It's a documentary.
05:12There is no...
05:13So I am just saying that if you keep creating.
05:15You will find your tribe.
05:17And that will lead you to your destination.
05:19But you can't stop and wait for validation.
05:22That's all.
05:23Just keep creating.
05:24Never give up.
05:25Never.
05:26To put it in short.
05:27Never give up.
05:28Because who knows when and where you will find that germ.
05:33And you will hit it.
05:34And it will be just right.
05:36So never give up.
05:37Like I was doing my second Marathi film.
05:40And we had a DOP on board.
05:42And something happened.
05:43And he was not being able to make it.
05:46And somebody suggested,
05:48Oh there is another woman who is a DOP.
05:51But she is a woman.
05:52And I am like, so what?
05:54If she is a woman.
05:55And I saw her work.
05:56And I loved it.
05:57And I said, no I want her on my script for Panchak.
06:01And we had her.
06:03She did a wonderful job.
06:04You should see the film.
06:05Just to see the photography in the film.
06:07And recently she was nominated for the best photography.
06:11Pooja Gupte.
06:12Yes.
06:13Pooja Gupte.
06:14Yes.
06:15She is incredible.
06:16And I just loved her work.
06:18And so that's how.
06:19It has to be something that is deserving.
06:23Absolutely.
06:24I said that at the Oscar stage after the win.
06:26And I said that in the press conference after.
06:29And I said, don't wait for a seat on the table.
06:32Create your own table and sit on it.
06:34Very well said.
06:36And then you can choose who else sits on it.
06:38So who is waiting for a seat on the table?
06:40It's my table.
06:41Correct.
06:54That's fantastic.
06:56Any time.
06:57Great, thank you.
06:58We'll see you back.
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