Mumbai, Oct 15 (IANS): Veteran actress Sharmila Tagore, who herself had played strong female characters in her movies such as 'Aradhana', 'Anupama' and many of her films said that the representation of women in TV and films has changed and they are seen taking charge of more prominent roles.

Sharmila said: "I think the power of women is great in our Indian history. Earlier, women in the film industry restricted themselves to specific jobs like make-up, etc. But today, we have progressed a lot, and women are seen taking charge of bigger roles like directors, producers, and so on and so forth."

The 77-year-old actress is known for playing an innocent and beautiful Kashmiri girl in the 1964 romantic film ' Kashmir Ki Kali' or starring opposite Rajesh Khanna in 'Safar', 'Amar Prem', 'Aradhana', 'Daag' and many such movies.

Further, she praised popular singer Neha Kakkar for being a fabulous judge on the singing reality show. "We also have our female judge who is doing a fabulous job," she added.

During the singing reality show, 'Indian Idol 13', Sharmila and Tanuja appeared as special guests and the contestants are seen performing on famous tracks from their movies.

Kavya Limaye from Gujarat also performs on songs like 'Ruke Ruke Se Kadam' from Sharmila and Sanjeev Kumar's film 'Mausam'. Kavya expressed her gratitude towards Sharmila and shared: "First of all, I am elated to have received the opportunity to perform in the form of Sharmila Ma'am. Never in my life did I imagine that I would be singing in front of her. More so, as a woman, I feel even more empowered after Sharmila ji spoke about how women in today's day and age are strong, passionate, dedicated, and skilled in their craft. I will never forget this day."

'Indian Idol 13' airs on Sony Entertainment Television.