As a veteran actress, Kitu Gidwani has also spoken openly about the difficulties faced by film stars in the Hindi entertainment industry, calling Bollywood a “fake industry” with vague rules and little protection for them. With a career that extends over more than four decades in movies and television, Gidwani said the industry needs major changes in the way it treats artists, particularly in royalties, intellectual-property rights, and opportunities for older women.
‘Bollywood is a fake industry’
Gidwani also criticized the lack of a strong union structure for Indian actors in an interview with SCREEN. She argues that performers should be able to benefit financially from their work long after receiving their first payment.
She compared India’s system with Hollywood, where actors can receive residual payments when their work is reused or redistributed.
Gidwani believes actors can spend decades working without earning a sustainable income from past performances to support themselves and the next generation of performers. She believes performers should have more rights over their creative work and how it is used commercially.
She Questions the Lack of Royalties
Gidwani also raised concerns about intellectual-property rights and creative rights, as actors will generally receive a one-time payment but producers will retain control over the property.
Her comments come amid broader discussions in India’s entertainment industry about royalties and performers’ rights. Unlike Hollywood’s union system, India’s film industry has historically been more fragmented.
Gidwani believes actors should be able to earn from successful work that continues to generate revenue years after its original release.
‘Older women deserve powerful roles.’
Ageism was another large issue highlighted by the actress.
Gidwani argued that women in the entertainment industry are often pushed into stereotypical roles as they get older. Rather than being restricted to simple, stereotypical mothers or aunts, she wants older actresses to have complex, powerful, and enduring characters involving romance, sexuality, humour, action, and ambition.
She has also previously criticized the industry’s tendency to discard women after 40 and argues that real-life women still live dynamic lives long after that age.
Her latest comments thus extend an argument she has made for years: age should not determine the creative possibilities available to female actors.
A Four-Decade Career
Gidwani has worked in television, cinema, and theatre since the 1980s. She became famous through shows like Air Hostess, Junoon, and Swabhimaan and has also won film credits for Rukmavati Ki Haveli, Earth, Fashion, and Student of the Year.
Her long career adds weight to her criticism since she has found herself in many different aspects of India’s entertainment industry through her career.
Why Her Comments Matter
Gidwani’s remarks highlight two different but connected issues: how older women are depicted on screen and how performers are compensated for their work over time.
Bollywood has turned to streaming and more diverse storytelling, but Gidwani feels that the structure of the industry still needs to be modified.
Her message is clear: actors should not be paid once and forgotten. They should have better rights over their work, and experienced female performers should have access to richer and more substantial characters.
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