Actor Anjini S Dhawan, niece of actor Varun Dhawan, firmly believes that “with the influence of the younger generation, people have become more woke and open-minded.” On National Youth Day today, the 24-year-old opens up about what it’s like to be a young actor in the industry and how Gen Z can change the game.

“The kind of roles being offered to us (younger generation) have changed drastically. Now, we get to do roles that are more inclusive, such as in Mismatched, as well as women-led, which was not the case earlier. I remember watching Chameli (2004) and there wasn’t any other such film for a long time after that,” Dhawan shares, adding, “Films like Sadma (1983) were also just one-offs. But today, there are so many women-led films such as the upcoming Alpha [starring Alia Bhatt and Sharvari].”

Talking about Gen Z’s role in making such changes possible, Dhawan adds, “The younger generation is changing many norms, and it’s eventually them that’s going to run the country and the world. People are also open to a lot more things than they were earlier, and I think mindsets are changing — which is a good thing.”