Rhea Was Judged Because She Is a Woman: Sonam Kapoor

Mumbai, Feb 8 (IANS) Actress Sonam Kapoor says her younger sister Rhea was judged when she started out as a producer because she was a woman.

"My sister went through it (discrimination). She was 21 when she produced her first film. And my father (Anil Kapoor) unfortunately was not here, he was in shooting in Hollywood, and my sister had such trouble getting finance for the films because they thought she is 21, despite having an outstanding script and something completely different," Sonam said at the L'Oreal Paris Women Of Worth Awards 2016 which honour women for their achievements in various fields.

"But even though everybody thinks that we come from a certain family, and it's easier (to produce), in fact it gets tougher because people don't want to invest money, first of all, because she was a woman.

"Though she was stern and she came back and is extremely capable, she was really judged for being a woman. If it was a 22 or 23-year-old man, it would have been completely different," said the "Neerja" actress.

Rhea had started out as a producer with her sister starring in the film "Aisha" which released in 2010.

The film couldn't create magic at the box office, but she bounced back with her sister again in "Khoobsurat" which was successful.

They are currently working on another film titled "Battle For Bittora" and have also started a fashion label.

On discrimination against women, Sonam said: "I feel that especially in the field of art, I know that it is male dominated.

"Sometimes as a woman, I feel that because we're so sensitive, and when you go through a lot of discrimination, or you go through things in life, you become a better artist. And I feel women to me are better artists because of it (discrimination)."

"Unfortunately we associate certain categories with only men. We are very talented women, and according to me, we should totally run the world.

"I've always stated that I'm a feminist and I'm not embarrassed to say it at all and I've been saying it since I was 21 years old, since I joined this industry."