Kriti Sanon spoke candidly about the gender bias she experiences in the Hindi film industry, saying that women are often viewed differently than their male counterparts, even when they show the same level of involvement in their work. During a conversation with Lily Singh on her YouTube channel, the actor reflected on his journey as an outsider and shared how female actors are judged more critically for the character that male stars are usually appreciated for.Kriti acknowledges that Bollywood has evolved over the years, with stronger and more layered roles now being written for women. However, he believes that some deep-seated prejudices still persist on film sets. According to him, female actors are often neglected, while assistant directors and crew members are more careful and respectful of male stars.Looking back on her career, Kriti said the film industry was the toughest environment she worked in, compared to modeling and engineering college. She recalls that when she entered Bollywood, opportunities for women were more limited, with most mainstream films revolving around male leads and female characters largely limited to romantic roles.While she feels the situation has improved a lot, Kriti says subtle forms of gender bias continue to show up in day-to-day interactions on set.He points out the way that curiosity and involvement are interpreted differently depending on an actor’s gender. Kriti, who likes to fully understand her scenes and characters, says she is often dismissed for asking too many questions, while male actors are praised for doing the same.“When a female actor asks a question, it’s like, ‘Kitne sawal poochti hai yeh, arey 50 sawal shuru ho jaayenge (She’s asking a lot of questions. Here, she’s going to start asking 50 questions).’ I think there is a conversation like this. Versus, a male star asked, he was called very involved. This happened to me. When I asked the same questions, I was told, ‘Don’t analyze it too much.’ But when it comes from the guy, they’re like, ‘Okay, it can be done,'” Kriti said.Kriti Sanon explains that gender bias on film sets is often subtle rather than overt. According to the actor, the difference in treatment can sometimes be seen in everyday arrangements, such as the rooms or cars assigned to male and female actors.He emphasized that the issue is not about receiving better facilities, but about being treated with equal respect. Kriti says it’s disheartening when such differences make female actors feel less valuable than their male counterparts.“Many times small things like the type of car or room given to the male actor and the type of room given to me. My point is that I am not bothered even if I get a small room or car, but don’t hurt me. Even the ADs have a tendency to call women first on the set. They don’t realize that they are a little scared of male actors and sometimes scared of female actors,” he added.Her comments contribute to a larger discussion about gender inequality in the film industry, highlighting how women continue to face different expectations and treatment on set, even as the industry evolves. Kriti suggests that these biases are often embedded in routine interactions, where the same behavior from male and female actors is perceived differently.On the work front, Kriti was recently seen in ‘Cocktail 2’.
