Ananya, Samantha, Kajol Look Gorgeous On The Red Carpet

It's raining awards shows, midweek, no less!

The second edition of The Hollywood Reporter India's Women in Entertainment Power List brought together many influential women from across the film industry.

Key Points

The Hollywood Reporter India's Women in Entertainment Power List honours influential women from film, television, music, and digital media.
Several artists were honoured, including Rani Mukerji (Timeless Icon), Aneet Padda (Breakthrough Artist), and Santhy Balachandran (Changemaker).
Voices like Kiran Rao and Guneet Monga emphasised that while women's participation has increased, representation -- especially in leadership roles like directing -- remains limited and needs further support.

Before arriving for the THR awards, Ananya Panday had won an award at the Pinkvilla Screen & Style Icon Awards.

Samantha was the keynote speaker of the evening.

Rani Mukerji was presented the Timeless Icon award.

Saiyaara's Aneet Padda won the Breakthrough Artist of the Year award.

Actress-turned-writer Santhy Balachandran of Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra won the Changemaker Of the Year award.

Border 2 actor Sonam Bajwa shares her happiness on being included on the list, saying, 'I feel really good. For me, it's a big deal to be included in this list.'

Kiran Rao shares how things have changed over the years and many more women are a part of the industry now: 'A lot has changed. When I started in the film industry, there were very few women on sets. Today, 25 years later, we have women directors, producers, cinematographers, writers, composers, it's very different now. It will continue to change, and I hope it does.'

Laapataa Ladies actor Nitanshi Goel discusses the importance of celebrating women and how cinema is changing: 'This event is to celebrate women in cinema, and some very inspiring women are present here today. Cinema has changed a lot in terms of storytelling, characters, and overall filmmaking.'

Sayani Gupta feels things have improved, but there is still a long way to go: 'Things have changed, but I feel it hasn't changed as much as it should. There's still a lot to improve. But this space and event remind us that better times are coming, and maybe we'll get even more opportunities in the future.'

Producer Guneet Monga with husband Sunny Kapoor.

Speaking about the importance of such recognition and the current scenario for women filmmakers, Guneet shares that the numbers are still low and more support is needed: 'If you look at the stats, around 2,500 films are made every year, and less than 7 per cent are directed by women. So recognition like this is very important so that more women can get opportunities.'