"Slapstick Is Always Sexist": Fatima Sana Shaikh Says Comedy Often Reduces Women To Stereotypes

Fatima Sana Shaikh says female characters in comedy often lack depth and variety.

05 Oct 2026, 08:10 · NDTV

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Fatima Sana Shaikh says women need stronger and more varied roles in comedy.
The actor feels female characters are often reduced to stereotypes for laughs.
Fatima Sana Shaikh recalls a time when comedy offered more variety for actors and familie

How can Bollywood fix its lack of female-led comedies?

Comedy may be one of the most popular film genres, but actor Fatima Sana Shaikh feels women still do not get enough space to shine in it. The actor has pointed out that female characters in comedies often remain limited to stereotypes, with little room for growth or varied performances.

Speaking to Variety India, Fatima discussed how the comedy space has changed over the years and why she feels there is a need for more lighthearted films and better-written roles for women.

For Fatima Sana Shaikh, the issue is not just the number of comedies being made but also the kind of female characters being written. She feels women are often used as part of the joke rather than being given characters with their own stories and personalities. She also pointed to the common use of women's looks, sexuality and humiliation as easy sources of humour.

“Slapstick is always sexist,” she said, agreeing that comedy can be funny without making women the butt of every joke.

Fatima Sana Shaikh also feels that the industry has moved away from the kind of lighter films that once gave actors more freedom to experiment. “We do need good comedy shows. We tend to lean towards thrillers and dark films. And we're only getting films like that. In general, lighter films are not being made these days,” she said.

Looking back at the 1990s and 2000s, Fatima Sana Shaikh believes actresses had more variety in the kinds of characters they could take up. She named Vidya Balan and Juhi Chawla while speaking about actresses who have a strong sense of comedy.

“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,” she said.

She also recalled how differently actresses such as Madhuri Dixit, Juhi Chawla and Preity Zinta were presented on screen, not just in terms of their appearance but also their acting styles.

Fatima shared, “Madhuri (Dixit) was so distinctly different from Juhi (Chawla). And Preity Zinta was so distinctly different. Not only aesthetic-wise, even their performances were different.”

Fatima Sana Shaikh's comments also touch on how family audiences once had more options when it came to comedy. She cites her last lighthearted film, Aap Jaisa Koi, as an example and feels films have become more adult-oriented today.

“My last light-hearted film was Aap Jaisa Koi. It was a PG-13 film. Before, even comedy was PG-13. 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 theater and watch the films. Now most films are also A-rated.”

Fatima Sana Shaikh's latest project, Hunkkaar: The Roar, was released on September 25 on JioHotstar. The show also stars Aneet Padda, Raghubir Yadav, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and Arjun Mathur in important roles.

ALSO READ | NDTV Yuva 2026: Fatima Sana Shaikh Reacts To 570% Hike In Entertainment Tax For AC Multiplexes

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