Mumbai, 24 Feb

Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor Khan on Saturday credited leading female actors like Kangana Ranaut, Vidya Balan and Deepika Padukone for having made significant contributions to the improvement of women's roles in cinema and remuneration in the Hindi film business.

Kareena, known for films like "Jab We Met", "Chameli", "Udta Punjab", "3 Idiots", "Laal Singh Chaddha", and "Jaane Jaan", was speaking about how female actors have altered things in the movie industry, on Day 2 of ABP Ideas of India. "A lot of strong women have done a lot of strong parts in films. They have done films that have been loved by the audiences, by the masses, by the film people, by critics, and at the box office. So, whether it's leading actresses like Kangana (Ranaut), Vidya (Balan), Deepika (Padukone) or myself, we've always tried to stand for roles that have risen above just being there in the film. So, all has changed a lot of dynamics on many levels, like demanding a certain role, a certain fee, or position," the 43-year-old actor said.

It's time to stop labelling movies as being either male- or female-centric, according to Kareena. She also cited the example of her upcoming release "Crew", which also stars Tabu and Kriti Sanon, saying it should not be perceived as a film that is only focused on women. "I would want people to go to cinemas whether they are watching a hero or heroine, where they are watching a film, a story, listening to songs, and all that. My film 'Crew', is releasing on March 29, it's about three air hostesses, there's Tabu, me and Kriti Sanon in it. "I don't want to look at it like, 'Oh it's a female centric film'. It's a film about people. What is the problem, it's a film, go watch it, enjoy it, love it. Why are you giving it names? It's a film," Kareena said.