Jacqueline Fernandez addresses stereotypes about women in Bollywood at Cannes: ‘There is no more a shelf life’

Jacqueline Fernandez is glad that actors can tell stories in a “much freer way” now.

Actor Jacqueline Fernandez believes that Bollywood has undergone a shift, breaking free from traditional stereotypes that once dictated female actors’ career trajectory. She feels women of all ages are now landing fantastic lead roles.

On the work front, Jacqueline will be seen next in Housefull 5.

Jacqueline Fernandez opines

During a panel discussion by Deadline Hollywood with the Red Sea Film Foundation titled Women in Cinema, Jacqueline spoke about the changing narrative for women in Bollywood. The discussion was held on the sidelines of the 78th Cannes Film Festival.

“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,” Jacqueline said.

The actor added, “Women of all age groups are getting fantastic roles. They are getting fantastic female lead protagonist roles. There are stories being made for them. So now, the variety has all of a sudden exploded. Everyone is getting an opportunity. There is no more a shelf life. There is, of course, a lot of us who go through that; it is how do we stay relevant all the time as you get older? But there are a lot of people and a lot of amazing actresses out there who are breaking that and who are working towards that”.

Jacqueline feels they are leading the way, and communicating to that “this is your passion, this is your dream and there is no limit to it”. She feels that the beauty of cinema is that everyone has a story to tell, irrespective of race, religion, gender or age. Jacqueline is glad that actors are able to tell stories in a “much freer way” now.

What’s next for Jacqueline Fernandez

On the work front, Jacqueline will be seen next in Housefull 5. The fifth instalment of the franchise is a star-studded affair. Helmed by Tarun Mansukhani and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, Housefull 5 stars Akshay Kumar, Abhishek Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh, Jacqueline Fernandez, Sonam Bajwa, Nargis Fakhri, Sanjay Dutt, Jackie Shroff, Nana Patekar, Chitrangada Singh, Fardeen Khan, Chunky Pandey, Johnny Lever, Shreyas Talpade, Dino Morea, Ranjeet, Soundarya Sharma, Nikitin Dheer, and Akashdeep Sabir. It is slated to be released in June.