Kolkata, Jan 26 (IANS): Veteran actress-social activist Shabana Azmi has expressed hope for women in Hindi cinema, observing that roles are becoming substantial for them and are being written for all age groups.

"I am very hopeful. I feel the roles are becoming substantial in films that are women-centric, but even within the films themselves," Shabana said here Sunday evening at a special session of the Kolkata Literary Meet.

The multiple National Award winner highlighted the fact that the current crop of films are incorporating characters of working women, and that women artists are demanding meatier roles.

"Today even in gangster movies, women are working...I think there is a greater understanding within the women artists themselves where they are demanding more meat if not necessarily in terms of the length, but definitely in terms of what the character is," she said.

Also, various age groups are being portrayed in Hindi cinema today, Shabana said.

"I think it is a very important time for Hindi cinema because roles are being written for all age groups. Earlier 30 was the end of a women's career. But today the roles are opening up and they are available, so I do think that happy times are here," she said.

The reason, according to Shabana, is the advent of multiplexes.

"The advent of multiplexes has thrown up choices.

"Why did we have a certain kind of film in the 1970s and 1980s? Because the intent of the producer was to cater to the lowest common denominator because you wanted to get the maximum number of people in the audience.

"Today it is possible to cater to a certain section of the audience and still make your money through your multiplexes, through urban centres. There are films which don't only depend on the lowest common denominator and that is opening up the way for lots of different things that are also being made," she said.