EntertainmentPosted at: Oct 5 2026 1:02AM


Fatima Sana Shaikh flags lack of layered female roles in comedy

Mumbai, Oct 4 (UNI) Actress Fatima Sana Shaikh has pointed to the shortage of well-written female characters in comedy, arguing that women in the genre are often reduced to stereotypes rather than given meaningful character arcs.
Shaikh pointed out that the industry has increasingly favoured thrillers and darker films, leaving little room for lighter, family-oriented stories, according to Variety India.
The 34-year-old actress also believes the comedy genre tropes usually revolve around the way women look, their sexuality and their humiliation. “Slapstick is always sexist,” she shoots, agreeing that comedy can be funny without reducing female characters to the butt of the joke.
Praising actresses from the 1990s and 2000s who have helmed comedy films before, Shaikh says there was greater room for women to explore comedy and different kinds of characters back then. She explains, “We don’t have enough lighthearted and comic roles for women. Vidya Balan’s comic timing is amazing. Juhi Chawla is also great. Back then, there were still varied roles that every actor played. Now, everybody is boxed in one way of looking, being or performing roles. Everything is one-dimensional. It wasn’t like that before. Madhuri (Dixit) was so distinctly different from Juhi (Chawla). And Preity Zinta was so distinctly different. Not only aesthetic-wise, but even their performances were also different.”
Referring to "Aap Jaisa Koi", her most recent light-hearted film, she noted that it was rated "PG-13" and recalled when comedies were more commonly made with family audiences in mind. "Be it comedies from Amrish Puri or Om Puri. They played different characters which were palatable to a family. All of us could go to a theatre and watch the films. Now most films are also A-rated.”
Shaikh recently appeared in the socio-thriller and courtroom drama "Hunkkaar: The Roar". UNI NST SS
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