KUALA LUMPUR: The time for leading ladies of the big screen to be “saved by their men” is over.
So said actress Nur Fazura Sharifuddin who has dared filmmakers to have them as protagonists or heroes.
Calling on filmmakers to be different by having more female protagonists, such as the characters she played in Gol Dan Gincu, Qaisy Dan Laila and Pisau Cukur, she said: “This is the age of women’s empowerment or girl power in short. This means, it is high time to make films where the main character is female, who does not need a male lead to save her from villains or even her own shortcomings.
“I’m happy to have played such women in some of my films and I hope to star in more films with strong female protagonists in future.
“I don’t like to play women who are dependent on their leading men to rescue them, for example, those who need to be saved from abusive men.
“I like women who are strong and fight the villains themselves,” she said in a news report yesterday.
Fazura, 35, said that the lack of strong female leads was a major reason why she was selective with film roles.
“My next role is that of a female vampire who is pretty strong. Watch out for it next month,” she said.
Her newest film is Dendam Pontianak, which also stars Remy Ishak, Hisyam Hamid, Namron, Shenty Feliziana, Nadia Aqilah and Wan Hanafi Su.
Directed by Gavin Yap and Glen Goei, it opens in cinemas on Sept 12.