Meghna Gulzar, firm about not distinguishing actors based on their genders, said we should ‘leave aside female-male’ when discussing performers. She was speaking at the ‘Sach Ka Daayra’ song launch event of her upcoming film, Daayra, in Mumbai. The event also saw her father and lyricist Gulzar and film’s stars Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran in attendance. The father-daughter duo talked about their dynamics, how films were never a part of Meghna’s childhood, and yet, her developing a knack for filmmaking.

At the event, Meghna was asked if having Gulzar around at home adds pressure to deliver. “It’s all about perspective,” said Meghna, adding, “It’s a positive motivation for me to have Gulzar saab at home.”

Did her father’s connection to the film industry influence Meghna to enter the film industry? Setting the record straight, Meghna stated that there was no influence on her. “I took the decision of being a filmmaker after college. Prior to that, my parents consciously kept films outside of the house. Films were removed from my childhood.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Meghna Gulzar (@meghnagulzar)

To ensure that she learned it the right and “hard” way, Meghna consciously didn’t assist her father. “I consciously assisted Saeed Akhtar Mirza sir because on his (dad’s) set, it would’ve been, ‘Baby ke liye chair lao, baby ke liye juice lao’ (Bring a chair for baby, bring juice for baby). That’s why I chose to assist Saeed Mirza sir because I wanted to work hard and learn everything from my experience,” said the filmmaker.

Story continues below.
Subscribe to see fewer ads.

Elated about having diverse content in today’s age of cinema, Meghna said that one should see beyond gender. “Female, male chhod dete hain (Let us all move beyond female and male directors). The kind of audience we have, they’ve expanded their consumption. One should think of content that is out of the box, and that is clutter-breaking, that is breaking the template and breaking the mould, and that is the impetus that we get as filmmakers, whether it’s a man or a woman,” said the Raazi director.

Meghna also credited the producers for banking on fresh subjects. She said, “The producers are coming along to support new kind of content, and until everyone comes together and encourages each other, we can’t expect a change in content.”

Having a legendary filmmaker and lyricist at home has its own perks. Meghna, who gets to experience this, shared that she shares the bound script with her father, and he assesses each of them before it’s locked. She revealed his way of giving feedback. “He puts the exclamation mark at every part that he likes, and my writers and I curiously flip through the pages to see the exclamation marks, along with a final note towards the end. And the end note for Daayra read: ‘The circle that you started with Talvar, you are completing it with Daayra,'” shared Meghna.

Gulzar said he “likes” his daughter’s approach towards cinema, and not just hers but the approach of other directors, who contribute heavily to cinema. He said, “I like her approach towards the cinema. Not just Meghna, there are better directors who have taken cinema ahead, and who are exposing this generation to much better subjects than in our times.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Meghna Gulzar (@meghnagulzar)

He said that this is a reflection of society and shows the “progress” of “society” and the “progress of art.” The filmmaker called the current age’s cinema the “voice of society.”

Story continues below this ad

Featuring Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran in titular roles, Daayra is slated to release on September 18, 2026.