Women in the Hindi film industry, both in front of and behind the camera, have broken the "glass ceiling" and have entered every male bastion, actor Raveena Tandon said on Wednesday during a panel of the 'National Conclave on Mann Ki Baat @100'.
Tandon, the star of the 1990 and early 2000s Hindi cinema, said the film industry should learn from sister mediums TV and OTT (over-the-top) platforms, which are the leaders in paying women better and producing shows with female protagonists, respectively, she said.
"We also talk about pay disparity but in the TV industry today, women are paid much higher than their male counterparts, which is a great thing because of the kind of work they do and I think in our TV industry, women rule. In OTT platforms too, the protagonists are mostly women, women's issues are discussed.
"In the film industry, we are going there slowly but surely because it has been a male-dominated industry since the beginning but there is definitely a change. Our women have broken the glass ceiling, we have entered every male bastion...," the 48-year-old actor said, addressing the 'Nari Shakti' session here.
Tandon said issues such as representation and pay disparity still plague the industry but with women in high places, change is on the way.
"... In the world today, there is a change because all the top positions, be it director of photography, our choreographers, our directors, producers, platform heads, and channel heads are women.
"So the opportunities that we should be getting, we are getting that. A woman being at the helm of producing something, she understands those issues, she understands the sensitivity, she has the sensibilities so we get more opportunities," the Padma Shri recipient said.
Tandon, known for films such as Mohra, Daman, Maatr, and web series Aranyak, said in the '90s Hindi cinema actors would "struggle" to break their perceived image.
"There is a lot of change in the film industry that was not there in the 90s. You would get stereotyped for playing a certain character," she said.
The actor, who won the National Film Award for playing a woman subjected to marital rape in the 2001 film "Daman", said her filmography is a reflection of the social causes she supports.
Tandon said issues such as domestic violence and marital rape were brushed under the carpet and she struggled a lot while bringing out a story like "Daman", directed by Kalpana Lajmi.
"I did not get any acceptance and faced a lot of struggle at that time but the film won the National Film Award and rightfully so because it was a film that was ahead of its time. And 23 years later, we are still discussing it (marital rape) even today." The actor also congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prasar Bharti on the 100th episode of 'Mann Ki Baat', the monthly radio programme, which is scheduled to be broadcast on April 30.
So, Kajol and Twinkle Khanna’s show, Two Much, is already near its fourth episode. And people keep asking: why do we love watching stars sit on sofas so much? It’s not the gossip. Not really. We’re not paying for the gossip. We’re paying for the glimpse. For the little wobble in a voice, a tiny apology, a family story you recognise. It’s why Simi’s white sofa mattered once, why Karan’s sofa rattled the tabloids, and why Kapil’s stage made everyone feel at home. The chat show isn’t dead. It just keeps changing clothes.
Why Indian audiences can’t stop watching chat shows from Simi Garewal to Karan Johar Instagram/karanjohar/primevideoin/ Youtube Screengrab
Remember the woman in white?
Simi Garewal brought quiet and intimacy. Her Rendezvous with Simi Garewal was all white sets and soft lights, and it felt almost like a church for confessions. She never went full interrogation mode with her guests. Instead, she’d just slowly unravel them, almost like magic. Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha, they all sat on that legendary white sofa, dropping their guard and letting something real slip out, something you’d never stumble across anywhere else. The whole thing was gentle, personal, and almost revolutionary.
Simi Garewal and her iconic white sofa changed the face of Indian talk showsYoutube Screengrab/SimiGarewalOfficial
Then along came Karan Johar
Let’s be honest, Karan Johar changed the game completely. Koffee with Karan was the polar opposite. Where Simi was a whisper, Karan was a roar. His rapid-fire round was a headline machine. Suddenly, it stopped being about struggles or emotions but opinions, little rivalries, and that full-on, shiny Bollywood chaos. He almost spun the film industry into a full-blown high school drama, and honestly? We loved it up.
Kapil Sharma rewired the format again and took the chat show, threw it in a blender with a comedy sketch, and created a monster hit. His genius was in creating a world or what we call his crazy “Shantivan Society” and making the celebrities enter his universe. Suddenly, Shah Rukh Khan was being teased by a fictional, grumpy neighbour and Ranbir Kapoor was taunted by a fictional disappointed ex-girlfriend. Stars were suddenly part of the spectacle, all halos tossed aside. It was chaotic, yes, but delightfully so. The sort of chaos that still passed the family-TV test. For once, these impossibly glamorous faces felt like old friends lounging in your living room.
Kajol and Twinkle’s Amazon show Two Much feels like friends talking to people in their circle, and that matters. What’s wild is, these folks aren’t the stiff, traditional hosts, they’re insiders. The fun ones. The ones who know every secret because, let’s be honest, they were there when the drama started. On a platform like Amazon, they don’t have to play for TRPs or stick to a strict clock. They can just… talk.
People want to peep behind the curtain. Even with Instagram and Reels, there’s value in a longer, live-feeling exchange. It’s maybe the nuance, like an awkward pause, a memory that makes a star human, or a silly joke that lands. OTT gives space for that. Celebs turned hosts, like Twinkle and Kajol in Two Much or peers like Rana Daggubati in Telugu with The Rana Daggubati Show, can ask differently; they make room for stories that feel earned, not engineered.
How have streaming and regional shows changed the game?
Streaming freed chat shows from TRP pressure and ad breaks. You get episodes that breathe. Even regional versions likeThe Rana Daggubati Show, or long-running local weekend programmes, prove this isn’t a Mumbai-only appetite. Viewers want local language and local memories, the same star-curiosity in Kannada, Telugu, or Tamil. That widens the talent pool and the tone.
From White Sofas to OTT Screens How Indian Talk Shows Keep Capturing HeartsiStock
Are shock moments over?
Not really. But people are getting sick of obvious bait. Recent launches lean into warmth and inside jokes rather than feeding headlines. White set, gold couch, or a stage full of noise, it doesn’t matter. You just want to sit there, listen, get pulled into their stories, like a campfire you can’t leave. We watch, just curious, hoping maybe these stars are a little like us. Or maybe we’re hoping we can borrow a bit of their sparkle.
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