Kiara Advani Gets Asked Whether Bollywood Actresses Can Be Friends & Her Response Is Hella Refreshing

Misogyny isn’t new to Bollywood. Until very recently, roles for women in the industry were only limited to the damsel-in-distress or the ‘item girl’ (or both!). While things are slowly improving on that front as female actors refuse to settle for non-meaty roles, one problem still persists. And that is the age-old stereotype that ‘two actresses can never be friends’. Of course, the statement reeks of sexism—acting is a job and women are as professional as their male counterparts. But somehow Bollywood believes that if you put two actresses in a room together, they will forget all about professionalism and get into a catfight *rolls eyes*.

Recently, yet another actress found herself at the receiving end of this question. It was none other than Kiara Advani, who has been promoting her recently released film, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. While the question may be old as time, it was the actresses’ sweet response that left us impressed. She said, “I believe so (that actresses can be friends). And I say that because I am a girl’s girl. I am most comfortable around my girlfriends, and around other women. Most of my friends in the industry are people I have worked with—my directors and co-actors—because I end up spending so much time with them.” 

In fact, Kiara even goes out of her way to support fellow actresses! “Whenever I watch the film of a contemporary, and if I really like it, I’ll get her number to tell her how good she was, even if I do not know her. That’s happened with me as well, when other actresses have reached out to me, even those I do not know, to tell me how much they enjoyed my work. It is so motivating to receive this kind of support. All of us inspire each other. When I watch someone performing incredibly, it only makes me want to up my game…to do better, take risks, try new genres,” she said. Isn’t she the sweetest?

Kiara added that she is a big champion of women supporting women. She said, “It uplifts one’s morale. We understand each other because we go through or have gone through similar experiences. And if we don’t root for each other, who will?” All we wanna say is—Amen sister! We are so proud of Kiara for not only handling a sexist question like a pro, but for also advocating for women supporting each other.

In the meantime, perhaps the Indian media needs to update their standard list of questions to ask woman actresses? It’s 2022, and sexism is no longer cool!