Bollywood Star Ayushmann Khurrana Latest Actor To Call For Gender-Neutral Festival Awards

EXCLUSIVE: Bollywood star Ayushmann Khurrana is the latest celebrity to call for film festivals to adopt gender-neutral acting awards categories.

Following in the footsteps of Tilda Swinton, Cate Blanchett and director Kornél Mundruczó, who have voiced their support for the change while at this week’s Venice Film Festival, Khurrana told us: “Gender-neutral awards should become the norm. I wholeheartedly laud the Berlin Film Festival’s decision to award gender-neutral recognitions and I hope all film festivals across the world and India follow suit.”

The Berlin Film Festival announced last month that it will become the first major festival to do away with the distinction between male and female acting categories. Instead, Silver Bears will be awarded for best leading performance and best supporting performance.

The Andhadhun and Vicky Donor star continued: “We are all actors at the end of the day and gender divisions only highlight the long prevalent divisive nature of societies. Thus, it is important that gender-neutral awards should become the norm when it comes to adjudicating the best work in a year.

“Gender divisions are too deep rooted and the film industry can really do their bit to champion change. Gendered awards, according to me, are totally outdated and should be scrapped. I seriously hope all award functions in India take a step in the right direction and do what is the most obvious thing towards having a more progressive society. For me, good performances are good performances and they should be seen without the gender lens.”

As we reported last month, National Film Award-winner Khurrana is gearing up to star with Vaani Kapoor in the new film from director Abhishek Kapoor.

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