Kriti Sanon praises Alia Bhatt’s ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ for breaking new ground in female-led films: ‘Someone had guts…’

Kriti Sanon, who won the award for ‘Mimi’ the same year that Alia Bhatt was honoured for ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’, emphasized the need for producers and directors to invest more confidently in female-led films and compelling narratives. Highlighting Alia’s powerful opening scene in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film, Kriti stressed that women-centric cinema has demonstrated its impact and deserves equal support as male-driven projects in the industry.Here’s a closer look at what Kriti Sanon said in an interview about female led-films.Kriti Sanon on taking risks on story over gender

Speaking to News18, Kriti stressed the importance of taking risks on the story itself rather than the lead actor’s gender. She pointed out that the only female-led film she could recall with a large scale and budget like that of ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ felt larger than life, and it would have appeared the same even if a man had been in the lead role.

She noted that the film’s budget and cinematography were handled in a grand manner, including the use of a ‘hero shot’—a cinematic technique usually reserved for male leads to make them look larger than life.

Kriti expressed her happiness that someone had the courage to invest such a significant amount of money in a female-led film, a rarity in the industry.Kriti Sanon on challenges women face breaking glass ceilingsThe actress spoke about the challenges women face in breaking glass ceilings in Bollywood, emphasizing the importance of being truly passionate and understanding that there are no shortcuts to success.

She said, “You need to really be passionate about it, and there is no shortcut. Nothing comes easy, there are no free lunches. You have to work hard towards it, and what is also very, very important is not to give up, because there will be times, especially when you don’t come from a film background, when no one’s giving you anything on a platter.

There will be so many people telling you why it’s too big a dream, why it can’t happen, why contact is needed, why connections are needed, or what’s wrong with you — you’re too short, you’re too tall, you’re too thin, you’re not in the right shape, whatever.

I feel people are going to tell you what’s wrong with you, but no one’s really going to tell you that you can do it other than you. So I feel you really need to be very, very driven, passionate, and patient, because it will come when the time is right, but you have to keep working on yourself."Kriti Sanon’s upcoming projectsOn the work front, Kriti Sanon’s upcoming projects include starring alongside Dhanush in Anand L. Rai’s ‘Tere Ishk Mein’, set to release on November 28, 2025. She will also lead in Homi Adajania’s highly awaited sequel, ‘Cocktail 2’, which begins filming this August and is expected to hit theaters in late 2026.

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