Pertinently, Kriti Sanon has once again brought up the elephant in the room. In a recent interview, she has spoken of being gender discriminated against in the film industry and how, when budgets are cut, it is the leading lady whose fee is axed.Taapsee Pannu agrees patriarchy is prevalent in the entertainment industry. “Unfortunately, in a patriarchal society like ours there are a section of men, who are intimidated by the presence of women around them who know what they want and those women who know how to get it too. This is regardless of which industry it is.”Taapsee reveals leading men are reluctant to work with her. “I know men, who want to do a film believing that I am a part of it and then there are others, who wouldn’t want to give it a chance knowing if I am there, it might be difficult for them to get the kind of presence they expect for a hero in the film.”Taapsee reveals she encountered gender discrimination in the South when she started her career. “A male actor is seen in his professional capacity as a hero, comedian, character actor, etc, whereas women are labelled by physical attributes….iron leg, golden leg, milky beauty, etc. It is the male mindset that entitles them to objectify women. There are actresses like Samantha and Nayanthara who have brought in slight change in the South. I was too raw to make any changes there. I was just trying to fit in. When I came to Hindi cinema, I was more equipped to make a change.”