Actors Anuja Joshi and Aneesha Joshi are not just making their presence felt with strong roles on screen but also for being vocal on social media. The twins who have followed their aunt’s (Pallavi Joshi) footsteps embarking on a career in tinsel town are winning hearts with their empowering posts. Today, on the occasion of Women’s Equality Day, the sisters have shared an inspiring message to all the women out there who are trying to excel at what they do and break free from the societal stereotypes. They posted gorgeous b/w pictures which exudes independence, power and free spirit. Born and raised in the west, the sisters have had their fair share of tryst as ‘women of colour’ and their challenges have only made them stronger. So, they took to the occasion to reach out to their tribe and inspire in their own little way.
Speaking about gender equality actor Anuja Joshi said, “Not only should I be given equal pay to my male counterparts but equal opportunity to participate in telling stories and being a participant in the larger conversation… rather than being pressured to fit into a mould that was created by men. (Beauty, figure, skin tone, sex appeal etc)”.
While in Bollywood, nepotism has been under the scanner off late, the western entertainment industry has been grappling with racial discrimination for a while now. Women of colour in entertainment have a lot of difficulties getting noticed as they don’t always have the right representation. Veteren actors like Meryl Streep have addressed this at awards while closer to home, Priyanka Chopra bagged mainstream roles in Hollywood heating up the debate furthermore. The sisters feel that in this profession, men often get billed higher and paid higher than women and that’s an accepted practice and that women centric stories don’t get as much traction as male led stories.
Anuja playing the lead role in Hello Mini is itself an example of change and now with her Instagram post along with her sister Aneesha we are sure that their beauty is skin deep- fortified with brains and brawn.
Here’s wishing these fierce women more strength and power!
Here’s what they posted on Instagram:
Women’s Equality Day
We were both raised with a strong sense of self and a central belief that as women, we are entitled to just as many freedoms as men. The women in our family have always been huge role models for us; as physical embodiments of strength, tenacity, kindness and grace. Growing up watching the women in our family as trailblazers in their communities was such an inspiration. They (through their actions) taught us the importance of forging your own path, on your own terms.
As a family of artists, we were raised with very progressive attitudes towards women and therefore had a tremendous amount of support when we made our decision to foray into the entertainment industry.
Being raised in America, the Indian immigrant community upheld high standards for academic performance from a very young age. It was a general expectation that we dedicate our days to studies in order to gain admission to top tier universities. This type of pressure was a way of life for us, and oftentimes we struggled to balance both our academic and artistic educations. In our community in America, we had no examples of women who pursued careers in entertainment at all. Expressing our dreams to become professional actors were often met with judgment, resistance or gentle warning from members of our community, but never from our family. After all, it wasn’t a widely accepted practice.
The unwavering support and empowerment from our parents and extended family was ultimately what gave Anuja and I the fearlessness that is required to make the leap from America to India, and begin a career in thud tumultuous, ruthless industry. Our father (Alankar Joshi- former child actor), and our aunt (Pallavi Joshi- national award winning actress, producer and seasoned TV host) are our anchors in uncertain times, and they constantly remind us of the fact that we are no less than anyone else with a dream.
This Women’s Equality Day we want to share this message to all of our followers:
If you have pure dedication and a strong sense of self, you can achieve all that you set your mind to. Empower the women around you to believe in themselves! A little bit of confidence can certainly go a long way. As women we may have our own set of challenges to face in order to be “taken seriously”, but we as a sisterhood, standing in solidarity, can make massive waves of change.
