For students of journalism and mass communication, understanding media means understanding cinema, one of the most powerful forces shaping public perception. On Day 4 of their Delhi tour, Parul University students stepped into the Jagran Film Festival (JFF), billed as the world’s largest travelling film festival, where the marquee session put the politics of representation on center stage.
Jagran Film Festival - Bold Personalities & Bolder Conversations!
The 14th edition of Jagran Film Festival in Delhi welcomes participants and visitors from all over the world. Held at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, this epic festival was themed around films and conversations, in keeping with its mission to use cinema to challenge society’s perspectives. It became clearer in a panel titled “From Pink to Power – Breaking Stereotypes Through Cinema,” which was moderated by the Indian actress Taapsee Pannu. She shared her bold views on how women are written differently, cast, and remembered on screen!
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Let Women Be Difficult
Taapsee Pannu spoke about her philosophy on choosing roles, framing it less like a career strategy and more driven towards “Not To Play Safe.” In cinema, she argued that when women are allowed to be difficult, unshakable, ambitious, and flawed, that is when it will touch reality. Taking risks and casting women for breaking those stereotypes is when the real change begins. It is a lens that applies well beyond acting: how media chooses to portray any group shapes how society comes to see them.
The Persistence of Ageism
The conversation turned personal when Pannu addressed a double standard she has watched play out around age. Filmmakers, she noted, routinely default to casting younger actresses opposite older male leads, even in roles where a character’s age is never specified in the story.
Ageism is a big thing.
– Taapsee Pannu, at the Jagran Film Festival
It is a disparity, she said, that has quietly persisted across mainstream Hindi cinema for years, and one she has seen echoed in her work across South Indian film industries too.
Who Gets to Be Complicated On Screen?
Beyond her own career, the panel widened into the question the festival seemed intent on raising all day: what responsibility does an industry carry when it decides who gets to be complicated on screen and who does not? For a room of aspiring storytellers, it was less a celebrity appearance than a working session on the politics of representation, exactly the kind of conversation JFF has built its identity around. The takeaway for future journalists and media professionals was clear: representation is not a side issue in media; it is central to how stories shape a society.
For Mass Communication & Journalism Students
A film festival might seem a world away from a newsroom, but for journalism and mass communication students, the connection is direct. Both cinema and journalism are storytelling media with the power to shape perception, and both carry a responsibility in how they represent people and issues. Sessions like this one give students a broader, more critical understanding of media, exactly the kind of perspective a strong journalism and mass communication education is meant to build, alongside the reporting and production skills covered across the rest of the tour. Exploring cinema as a form of storytelling can help students understand how representation, culture, and public perception intersect. Parul University’s BA in Journalism and Mass Communication and MA in Journalism and Mass Communication encourage students to examine these dimensions of media while developing practical skills in storytelling, communication, and content creation through industry exposure and experiential learning.
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FAQs
What are Taapsee Pannu’s opinions on women in cinema?
At the Jagran Film Festival, Taapsee Pannu said cinema becomes more compelling when women are allowed to be more difficult, unshakable, flawed, and unconcerned. She said she believes in choosing offbeat roles, as that’s when society will be challenged to think beyond societal stereotypes!
What is ageism in cinema?
Ageism in cinema refers to age-based double standards, such as, as Taapsee Pannu noted, routinely casting younger actresses opposite older male leads even when a character’s age is unspecified. She described it as a disparity that has long persisted in mainstream Hindi cinema and that she has observed across other film industries too.
Why does representation in media matter?
Because media, from cinema to journalism, shapes how society sees different groups and issues. How a group is portrayed, and who is allowed to be complex or central, influences public perception. That makes representation a core responsibility for storytellers, not a side issue, which is why media students study it critically.
