Let's empower man: Michelle Yeoh

PANAJI: When Michelle Yeoh wowed audiences with her gutsy, action-packed performance in the 1997 James Bond film 'Tomorrow Never Dies', Pierce Brosonan said she could be a "female James Bond". At Iffi on Saturday, Yeoh said she would not feel "sexy" as a female James Bond, because he was a misogynist. "I wouldn't want to be a female version of that! The times have changed, thankfully, and women in cinema are so much more powerful today," she says.
Speaking about why she chose to be an action-heroine, Yeoh explained, "Earlier, Asian women were depicted as the 'fragile ming vase', as weak and subservient characters. I was a rebel and wanted to break free of this image. But even today, she does not like the term 'empowerment of women'. "Why empower women? Let's empower men, and help them take a stand to stop acts of violence against women. This world belongs to all of us, and all sexes should be able to live in respect and harmony," she quips.
True to her support for gender equality, Yeoh's film production "Pad Yatra - The Green Odyssey" features the incredible "Kung Fu Nuns" of the Drukpa sect-nuns who have broken gender barriers to learn (and teach)martial arts, dance and other regular professions to protect themselves and gain financial independence.