Actress Sonam Kapoor just took to her social media profile and wrote a lengthy note, talking about her early career, her inspiration Neerja and pays homage to actress Fatima Begum, who is solely responsible for pulling Bollywood out of its patriarchal ways.
Fatima Begum was an actress, director, and screenwriter. She is often considered the first female film director of Indian cinema. Within four years, she went on to write, produce and direct many films. She launched her own production house, Fatma Films, which later became Victoria-Fatma Films, and directed her first film, Bulbul-e-Paristan, in 1926. She lived from 1892-1983 and was mother to three children.
Sonam Kapoor wrote, “For those of you who don’t know, in the beginning of my career, I AD’d with a director for almost 5 years. In a space that was largely dominated by men, I got a glimpse of what it means to be a woman in an otherwise man’s world. It is not easy. Later, when I went on to act in films, one such film that hit home was Neerja. I read her story, I read the script, I did my research – Neerja was a badass. She was courageous, she was strong, she was also emotional and sensitive. Looking at these women and reading about them, I cannot help but look up to them. Another inspiration of mine has to be Fatma Begum!”
“She was a leader in so many ways. Largely responsible for pulling the film industry out of its patriarchal ways, she was also unafraid to try news things and experiment. Right now, as Rhea and I lead AK Films, there are 1001 issues and roadblocks that we face, quite a few of them because we are women. Stories like Fatma’s gives me hope and encouragement”
“Rhea and I have never shied away from speaking up about the issues we faced while making Veere, but the fact is that that is just the tip of the iceberg. I just want to thank and show my respect to Fatma Begum, for paving the way for women to become actors, scriptwriters, producers and directors. Thank you for doing what you did back then, so that we can do what we are doing right now. No amount of words can describe the respect I have for you, thank you for being a feminist, thank you for not being afraid, thank you for taking risks, and thank you for establishing a platform for actors like myself to even exist today. Guys, if you don’t know about her, I urge you to look her up, read about her, be inspired. We NEED more women like her! P.S – While curating this, my team and I faced several roadblocks in terms of finding correct information. If, by any chance, any of you can reach out with more credible sources that can help us in understanding such icons in a better way, do let us know. 🙂 #FatmaBegum #IndianCinema #FirstWomanDirector #Feminism #Feminist #Inspiration #HindiMovies”
Sonam was last seen in Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga and The Zoya Factor.