NEW DELHI (AP) — Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor says the portrayal of women in Indian cinema is changing and increasingly film directors are creating more meaningful roles for them.

Kapoor says Bollywood has begun portraying women in a more positive manner. Women’s "roles are being written by new and young directors and they are showing that we are not just objects of desire," she said.

For the most part women lead subservient lives in India, and Bollywood’s portrayal of women is no different. In most Indian films, the female lead’s job is to pout and make the male protagonist look good.

Kapoor was speaking on New Delhi Television channel on Monday after receiving NDTV’s "Entertainer of the Decade" award. She has acted in more than 50 films since joining the film industry in 2000.