Actress Ananya Panday underlined the importance of having a body like the Hema Samiti in every film industry to fight sexual abuse against women in the film industry. Speaking at the India Today Mind Rocks Youth Summit 2024 held in Bengaluru on Saturday, September 14, the 25-year-old actress said, “It’s very important for every industry to have a committee like the Hema Samiti, where women come together and start something like this. Frankly, it’s no one else but women who are doing this.”

The actress, who is being appreciated for her performance in the Prime Video series Call Me Bae, said that women are doing a great job by coming together and forming organisations like Hema Samiti. “I think there has definitely been some change. As you can see, people are at least talking about the problem. However, there is still a long way to go. There are still huge battles to be fought,” she said.

“We have helpline numbers in our contracts”

Ananya added that some production houses and filmmakers have started making changes to their processes and policies to ensure the safety of women on sets. She shared, “I see that today in our contracts, there are certain helpline numbers, certain clauses that ensure the safety of women and I think that is very important. Even our call sheets have helpline numbers. You can call them and complain. Even if you want to complain anonymously. But, I don’t think this problem is only in the film industry. It is important that we address it as soon as possible.”

Ananya is one of the most respected young actresses in Bollywood today. She spoke about how she is aware of her power to influence people as an actress. The actress said that she is conscious of speaking up on important issues. The popular star urged young actors to make their own choices but take a stand on important issues. “At least stand up for something. That’s very important. Don’t talk about everything but choose something you feel strongly about. Like women’s safety is very important to me. I always speak up about it. And it’s also important to do it the right way. It’s not just about speaking. One has to do something. Actions speak louder than words,” she elaborated.

Currently, she is busy promoting Call Me Bae, while her next film is a biopic titled Shankara opposite Akshay Kumar. Ananya made her debut in the industry in 2019 with Karan Johar’s Student of the Year 2.