Bollywood Is Evolving! Jacqueline Fernandez On How Things Are Changing For Female Leads: ‘It’s Not Any More About…’

At the 78th Cannes Film Festival, Jacqueline Fernandez highlighted a big change in Bollywood. She said the industry no longer sticks to old stereotypes about how female actors should look or the roles they get. Now, women of all ages are landing strong lead roles, which is a fresh shift from the past.

Here’s What Jacqueline Fernandez Said

Jacqueline spoke during a panel called Women in Cinema, hosted by Deadline Hollywood and the Red Sea Film Foundation. She said, “In India and in Bollywood, there has been an amazing change where it's not anymore about fitting a cookie-cutter stereotype of what it means to be an actress and how you could fit in a role. And these are the roles that you can be given if you are a certain age or if you look a certain way. That's changed a lot in India.”

The old rules that limited actresses to certain roles are fading away. Women of all ages now get strong lead roles, and many new stories are being created for them. This has increased the variety and opportunities for actresses, ending the idea of a "shelf life" in their careers. 

Jacqueline also recognised that staying relevant as actresses age remains a challenge. However, she praised many women who are overcoming these barriers and working hard to stay in the spotlight.

Jacqueline believes the rise of strong female leads is creating new opportunities for future actors. She feels that cinema allows everyone to share their story, no matter their background or age. She is thankful that actors today have more freedom to express themselves.

Check out her video below!

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Jacqueline’s Upcoming Movies

On the film front, Jacqueline is preparing for the release of Housefull 5. The film is the latest in the hit comedy series and is directed by Tarun Mansukhani. Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, it features a star-studded cast including Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Abhishek Bachchan, Sonam Bajwa, Nargis Fakhri, and Sanjay Dutt. Housefull 5 is scheduled to hit cinemas on June 6.

Apart from this, she is also a part of another multi-starrer comedy, Welcome To The Jungle.