Manoj Bajpayee on women leading Bollywood: cites Vidya Balan, Kajol
Synopsis
Manoj Bajpayee argues that Bollywood's so-called male dominance is already being dismantled — slowly on the big screen, faster on OTT. Citing Vidya Balan and Kajol, he makes the case that the shift isn't coming; it's been underway for years. His OTT observation lands with extra weight given his own blockbuster streaming record.
Key Takeaways
Manoj Bajpayee said women have been leading Hindi films 'for a long time', citing Vidya Balan and Kajol as key examples.
He credited OTT platforms with accelerating women-led stories due to lower financial stakes compared to theatrical releases.
Bajpayee also noted that OTT had given visibility and financial stability to male actors overlooked by mainstream cinema.
Vidya Balan 's credits include 'Kahaani' , 'The Dirty Picture' , and 'Sherni' ; Kajol has headlined 'Helicopter Eela' , 'The Trial' , and others.
Bajpayee's latest project, 'Gajab Raat' , premiered on Netflix on 23 October .
Actor Manoj Bajpayee has said that while mainstream Bollywood has historically centred on male protagonists, women have been quietly but steadily claiming the lead in Indian cinema — and the shift, he argues, has been underway for years. Speaking during a panel discussion on gender representation in Hindi films, Bajpayee pointed to the careers of Vidya Balan and Kajol as evidence of an industry already in transition.
What Bajpayee Said
'The heroine has been coming as a hero for a long time. I remember so many films of Vidya Balan. I remember Kajol's movies too. It is taking its time, but it's happening. What is good that is happening. And it has been happening for a long time, right?' Bajpayee said.
The actor was careful to frame the change as gradual rather than sudden, acknowledging that mainstream theatrical releases still carry enormous financial risk — a barrier that has historically made studios more conservative about backing women-led projects.
OTT as a Leveller
Bajpayee credited OTT platforms with accelerating the trend. Because streaming productions involve lower financial stakes than theatrical releases, producers are more willing to greenlight scripts built around women protagonists. 'And with OTT, it's happening more frequently because the stake is not that high,' he said.
Notably, the same dynamic has benefited male actors who struggled to find a foothold in mainstream cinema. Bajpayee observed that OTT had given such performers both visibility and financial stability. 'Look at the actors who could not even get rightly consumed earlier. Male actors could not even get consumed by mainstream cinema. They are getting so much respect on OTT,' he said. 'And their lifestyle is maintained. They are finding some kind of comfort in their life because of all those roles that they have been getting,' he added.
The Careers Behind His Point
Vidya Balan has been among the most consistent standard-bearers of women-led Hindi cinema, headlining films such as 'The Dirty Picture', 'Kahaani', 'No One Killed Jessica', 'Tumhari Sulu', and 'Sherni'. Kajol, too, has anchored several projects built around complex female characters, including 'Helicopter Eela', 'The Trial', 'The Good Wife', and 'Dushman'.
Together, the two actresses represent different eras and registers of the argument Bajpayee was making — Kajol's mainstream 1990s stardom and Balan's critically acclaimed 2000s and 2010s run illustrating the breadth of the shift he described.
Bajpayee's Recent Work
On the professional front, Manoj Bajpayee was recently seen in 'Gajab Raat', a suspense thriller co-starring Divya Dutta and directed by Ritesh Shah. The film premiered on Netflix on 23 October. His comments on women-led cinema carry particular weight given his own long association with OTT — his 'The Family Man' series helped validate streaming as a serious space for A-list talent.
As more platforms compete for original Indian content, Bajpayee's assessment suggests the structural conditions for women-led stories are improving — even if the theatrical marquee has not yet caught up with the streaming reality.
Point of View
Just quietly. That is a more honest read of the data: Balan's decade-long run of solo hits predates most current discourse on representation. What mainstream coverage misses is his OTT observation, which doubles as a structural critique of how theatrical risk-aversion shapes who gets to be a protagonist. The real question is whether OTT normalisation eventually shifts risk tolerance at the multiplex — or whether streaming simply becomes the permanent workaround for stories the theatrical establishment won't greenlight.
NationPress
30 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Manoj Bajpayee say about women in Bollywood?
Manoj Bajpayee said that women have been leading Hindi films for a long time, citing Vidya Balan and Kajol as examples of actresses who anchored major projects well before the current conversation about representation. He described the change as gradual but real.
Why does Bajpayee think OTT platforms help women-led stories?
Bajpayee argued that OTT productions carry lower financial stakes than theatrical releases, making producers more willing to back scripts centred on women protagonists. He noted the same dynamic benefits male actors who could not break into mainstream cinema.
Which films did Bajpayee cite as examples of women-led Bollywood cinema?
He referenced the work of Vidya Balan, including films such as 'Kahaani', 'The Dirty Picture', 'Tumhari Sulu', and 'Sherni', and Kajol's projects including 'Helicopter Eela', 'The Trial', and 'The Good Wife'.
What is Manoj Bajpayee's latest project?
Bajpayee was recently seen in 'Gajab Raat', a suspense thriller co-starring Divya Dutta and directed by Ritesh Shah. The film premiered on Netflix on 23 October.
Is Bollywood still male-dominated according to Bajpayee?
Bajpayee acknowledged the traditional male-centric structure of mainstream Bollywood but pushed back on the idea that change is still pending. He said the shift has 'been happening for a long time' and that OTT had only accelerated it.
