Home / Arts and Entertainment / Lekha Washington: Refusing to Fit In, Forging Her Own Path
Lekha Washington: Refusing to Fit In, Forging Her Own Path
17 Aug
Summary
- Washington refuses societal pressure to fit into a single career or life role.
- She advocates for women's self-choice against societal control mechanisms.
- Washington left commercial Hindi cinema a decade ago to pursue creative independence.
Artist and actress Lekha Washington emphasizes the importance of continuous evolution and self-expression, rejecting the notion of being confined to a single identity or career path. She asserts that life's beauty lies in exploring diverse interests without age limitations, likening it to her mother learning Japanese and traveling extensively. Washington views societal tendencies to box individuals as restrictive, stating she refuses to shrink herself to fit others' expectations.
Washington identifies as a "wild child" who prioritizes choosing herself, a difficult but necessary act. She critiques societal mechanisms that seek to control women, particularly in Indian society, where girls are often taught to conform to specific behaviors and appearances from a young age. This ingrained pressure, she notes, can lead women to live according to others' whims without realizing it.
Having stepped away from commercial Hindi cinema nearly a decade ago, Washington has focused on her artistic pursuits. After a Tamil film in 2013, she invested her earnings into establishing her studio, deliberately avoiding industry producers and directors. She found the film industry patriarchal and resistant to her opinions, prompting her decision to control her own destiny and create the stories she feels need to be told, making a return to commercial Hindi cinema unlikely.
