All posts tagged: Gender

Chetak Screen Awards 2026: Haq wins Best Film for Gender Sensitivity award | Bollywood News

Chetak Screen Awards 2026: Haq wins Best Film for Gender Sensitivity award | Bollywood News

Published by Parlour News

2 min readHyderabadApr 5, 2026 10:13 PM IST Chetak Screen Awards 2026 Best Film for Gender Sensitivity Winner: At the Chetak Screen Awards 2026 held on Sunday in Mumbai, the Best Film for Gender Sensitivity award recognised a title that handled that responsibility better than any other release of 2025, and it was Haq that claimed the honour. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO The category brought together some of the year’s most thoughtful and socially conscious filmmaking. Dhadak 2, Humans in the Loop, Mrs, and The Great Shamsuddin Family were all in the running, each making a case for cinema that takes its portrayal of gender seriously. In the end, it was Haq that the Screen Academy felt went furthest in that conversation. The team of Haq accepted the honour, which was presented by Boman Irani. Bollywood star Alia Bhatt, comedians Zakir Khan and Sunil Grover, and eminent journalist Saurabh Dwivedi (Editor – Hindi, The Indian Express) served as hosts in the ceremony. ALSO READ | Chetak Screen Awards 2026 LIVE Updates Instituted by The Indian …

Derek O’Brien writes| Gender identity, now to be decided by the state

Derek O’Brien writes| Gender identity, now to be decided by the state

Published by Parlour News

The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, was rushed through Parliament earlier this week. Why do I say “rushed”? Twenty years ago, six out of 10 bills were referred to parliamentary committees for scrutiny. In the last few years, that figure has fallen drastically. Only two out of 10 bills are now being sent for scrutiny. Here is another interesting factoid. In both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, the BJP only used two-thirds of the total time allotted to it for speaking. Unusual. Did it not have enough speakers on the Bill? Or did it choose not to put up speakers to hasten the process of passing the Bill? In sharp contrast, MPs from the Opposition utilised every minute allotted to them to make some powerful interventions. Renuka Chowdhury, INC: “When we become an MP, we have to identify our gender. We self-identify (our gender). Does any medical board endorse that?”. Tiruchi Siva, DMK: “Transgenders are being abused, decimated, and insulted at every place, and now the Union government is criminalising …

‘Others can’t dictate what’s masculine’: Allu Sirish addresses trolling over him breaking gender norms | Interview

‘Others can’t dictate what’s masculine’: Allu Sirish addresses trolling over him breaking gender norms | Interview

Published by Parlour News

Actor Allu Sirish wore an intricate choker at his engagement to Nayanika Reddy in October 2025. Jewellery was also a huge part of his pre-wedding and wedding outfits as he tied the knot recently. However, from memes to trolls, Sirish faced it all for breaking gender norms and jazzing up his outfit. In an interview with Hindustan Times, the actor says that he’s self-assured enough that others cannot dictate what’s masculine or feminine. (Also Read: Allu Sirish says he fell in love with Nayanika because she’s a sharpshooter; reveals honeymoon plans | Interview) Allu Sirish says he feels comfortable enough in his skin to break gender norms. Allu Sirish says he didn’t care if he got trolled for breaking gender norms Sirish wore diamond and gold jewellery throughout his pre-wedding and wedding ceremonies, even getting mehendi with Nayanika’s name, apart from Lord Balaji’s namam-shanku-chakra for the D-day. After his engagement last year, he had to school trolls and remind them of a time when Mughal and Indian maharajas wore chokers. Now, the actor says it’s …

Uttarakhand boosts gender budget to Rs 19,692 crore for women welfare

Uttarakhand boosts gender budget to Rs 19,692 crore for women welfare

Published by Webster

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has said that just a day after International Women`s Day and on the very first day of the budget session, the state government has reassured Matri Shakti (women) that it is serious about their welfare. Whether it is the increase in the size of the gender budget, which is important from the perspective of women`s equality, or budgetary provisions for various schemes directly related to women, the government has ensured financial support for them. According to an official release from CMO, the Chief Minister stated that last year the state government had presented a gender budget of Rs 16,961.32 crore. While presenting the budget this time, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced that a provision of Rs 19,692.02 crore has been made under gender budgeting. This clearly indicates that efforts aimed at women`s welfare will gain further momentum following this budget. He further said that the state government has demonstrated its commitment to women`s welfare by allocating funds for schemes that directly benefit them, such as the Eja-Boi Shagun …

Former India Volleyball Captain Abhijit Bhattacharya wins Global IOC Gender Equality award

Former India Volleyball Captain Abhijit Bhattacharya wins Global IOC Gender Equality award

Published by Webster

Former Indian men’s volleyball captain Abhijit Bhattacharya has been named the Global Winner of the 2025 International Olympic Committee Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Champions Award, recognising his work in expanding access to sport in rural India. The honour highlights Bhattacharya’s grassroots initiatives in Assam, where he has developed community-based volleyball programmes designed to ensure equal participation for girls and boys. Through the Assam Volleyball Mission 100 and the Brahmaputra Volleyball League, his projects have reached more than 12,000 children across 400 teams in villages across the state. Grassroots Volleyball Movement in Assam Bhattacharya launched the Assam Volleyball Mission 100 in 2019 with the aim of distributing volleyballs to rural communities. The initiative later expanded into the Brahmaputra Volleyball League, a large community-based competition that now includes multiple age categories for boys and girls. The programme brings organised sport directly into villages, removing barriers such as travel costs and limited infrastructure that often prevent young athletes, particularly girls, from participating. Teams are registered in equal numbers for boys and girls, and matches are held locally …

Saif Ali Khan weighs in on gender wage gap in Bollywood: ‘Just because you are a certain gender…’

Saif Ali Khan weighs in on gender wage gap in Bollywood: ‘Just because you are a certain gender…’

Published by Parlour News

The conversation around pay parity in the film industry has resurfaced yet again, and this time, Saif Ali Khan has added his perspective. Speaking recently on a podcast hosted by his sister Soha Ali Khan, the actor addressed the long-running debate about the gender wage gap in Bollywood. Saif Ali Khan Saif Ali Khan opens up on pay parity in Bollywood Discussing the debate around pay disparity alongside brother-in-law and actor Kunal Kemmu, Saif said he believes actors of similar standing should ideally earn the same. However, he emphasised that salaries in the film business are strongly linked to box-office economics. “If the actors are of equal stature, they should be paid the same amount. But I also feel the economics work in a certain way. If you are putting people in seats in the theatre, you get paid accordingly. Everyone understands that relationship,” he said. Saif further explained that remuneration in the industry is closely tied to an actor’s box-office pull rather than gender. “It’s not like just because you are a certain gender …

Saif Ali Khan feels gender has nothing to do with pay gap in Bollywood: ‘It’s a balanced economic system’

Saif Ali Khan feels gender has nothing to do with pay gap in Bollywood: ‘It’s a balanced economic system’

Published by Parlour News

Pay disparity has been a long-standing talking point in the Indian film industry, with actors and filmmakers frequently debating the gap between the earnings of male and female stars. Now, Saif Ali Khan has weighed in on the issue, mentioning that he believes that stars who can pull crowds to theatres deserve to be paid more for their box-office draw. Saif Ali Khan is the son of veteran actor Sharmila Tagore. Saif on pay parity Recently, Saif appeared alongside his sister Soha Ali Khan on a podcast episode on her YouTube channel, with Kunal Kemmu also joining the conversation. Talking about the debate around pay disparity in the film industry, Saif and Kunal mentioned that the pay cheque is largely driven by box office economics and audience demand rather than gender. During the interaction, Saif mentioned that actors who hold a similar stature deserve to be paid equally. However, he acknowledged that the industry’s pay structure is largely influenced by a star’s ability to pull audiences to theatres. Saif said, “If the actors are of …

Women`s Day 2026: Amita Madhvani about bridging gender roles in industry

Women`s Day 2026: Amita Madhvani about bridging gender roles in industry

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We often see how the cinema has evolved when it comes to the treatment and portrayal of women on screen. But what goes on behind the lens in the industry largely remains unknown or neglected. On International Women`s Day 2026, mid-day spoke to Amita Madhvani, CEO and co-founder of Ram Madhvani Films, Equinox Films and Equinox Virtual, to understand the role of women off the screens. Excerpts from the interview… Amita Mdhvani on evolving roles of women in the industry When asked about the lack of women in roles like direction and production, she shares, “I feel that if you want to achieve something, you rise with the challenges, prepare yourself, and then all doors open. The important thing is the first step that any creator takes, and then learns the business operations that they are integral to creating together as a team.” Sharing her personal experience, she added, “On a personal level, I’ve been fortunate. Growing up with two siblings, a sister and a brother, there was never any comparison or differentiation at home. …

The 50 contestant Monalisa says she faced discrimination for belonging to Bhojpuri industry, reacts to gender bias on show: ‘Women were treated differently’ | Television News

The 50 contestant Monalisa says she faced discrimination for belonging to Bhojpuri industry, reacts to gender bias on show: ‘Women were treated differently’ | Television News

Published by Parlour News

5 min readMumbaiUpdated: Feb 25, 2026 11:41 PM IST Reality show The 50 has been garnering an impressive viewership; however, many underlying issues exist in the show — from the female contestants allegedly facing gender bias to a few contestants being discriminated against based on their industry. Bhojpuri actress Monalisa and her husband Vikrant Singh Rajpoot said they faced all this during their time on the show. Monalisa, who recently got evicted, spoke exclusively to SCREEN, highlighting the discrimination she faced for being from the Bhojpuri industry. Talking about her journey on The 50, Monalisa said, “My journey was very short-lived. When Vikrant and I had been locked for the show, we learned about other couples, too, and we thought we would make new friends on the show. While we understand that our vibe won’t match with all 50 people, I thought I would at least befriend a few people and plan the game from there. However, after going there, I just felt that people had brought their fights and controversies from outside into the …

When Julia Roberts’ M Erin Brockovich Deal Redefined Gender Pay Parity in Hollywood

When Julia Roberts’ $20M Erin Brockovich Deal Redefined Gender Pay Parity in Hollywood

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Julia Roberts Signed A $20 Million Paycheck For Erin Brockovich (Photo Credit – Instagram) Julia Roberts, born in Smyrna, Georgia, followed her brother Eric’s footsteps to enter the movie business. From the very beginning, the actress got a grip of the drill and showcased what she is capable of. She debuted with a girl band drama, Satisfaction, and created waves with her performance in her next project, Mystic Pizza, which earned her a lot of attention. Soon after that, she smashed the Hollywood box office with the movie Pretty Woman in 1990. She gained her first Oscar nomination. Over the years, Julia established her career and built an empire on her own in the industry. She now has a huge body of work that people look up to. But did you know she was the first actress who broke the pay parity situation and signed a check with the same amount as a male actor was receiving back at that time? How Julia Roberts Bagged $20 Million For Her Role In Eric Brockovich? During the …