Cinema VinesRasika Dugal, who is currently in the spotlight for her role as Beena Tripathi in the newly released Mirzapur: The Movie, has spoken candidly about the challenges faced by women‑led projects in Hindi cinema. In an interview with ANI, the actress highlighted that she often receives scripts that feature strong female protagonists, yet these projects struggle to secure the necessary financial backing and distribution deals.
“I get a lot of scripts every day that have very interesting characters, women in the centre, but they often don’t have producers backing them,” Dugal said. She added that even when such films do get made, getting them released remains a major hurdle. The actress underscored that while technology can aid the creative process, the real bottleneck lies in the business side of filmmaking.
When asked about the growing use of artificial intelligence in screenwriting, Dugal expressed cautious optimism. “I am not so much in favour of the idea of using AI; I feel that for writing, I feel that AI can be a supporting tool, but not the main thing,” she explained. She noted that she does not rely heavily on AI herself and therefore does not consider herself an expert in the technology.
Beyond her comments on industry dynamics, Dugal shared her excitement about the success of Mirzapur: The Movie, which hit theatres on September 4 and earned ₹57 crore net in its first two days. The film, which continues the story of the popular series, features a star‑studded cast that includes Pankaj Tripathi, Divyenndu, Ali Fazal, Ravi Kishan, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Shweta Tripathi, and Abhishek Banerjee. The movie is on track to cross the ₹100‑crore mark.
With the franchise’s growing popularity, Dugal’s remarks come at a time when the industry is grappling with how to support diverse voices and new storytelling approaches. Her call for increased producer support for women‑centred narratives adds to the ongoing conversation about representation and sustainability in Bollywood.
