Shinde asked Saiswaroopa Iyer:

As a woman, do you find it easier to depict fiercely independent female protagonists? Do you feel yourself shortchanging the male characters in the process?

Saiswaroopa Iyer Nice question. What we mean by fiercely independent might differ from author to author. For me, the strength of a female character is not in remaining as a faultless, isolated superwoman, but in recognizing her own strengths viz a viz that of her partner/brother/mentor, growing and keeping focused on the greater cause.
I don't think it is necessary to short change a male character to depict a strong female character. Doing that would, in fact, end up showing our own female character in a dishonest or artificial light.
A heroine becomes a better inspiration if she is in cognizance of her flaws and figures out a way to persist, grows out of her weaknesses and build on her strengths. I would emphasize that strong female protagonists are not those who have zero dependence on their eco-system, but they are those who have the courage to face their dependence and in turn live up to those who depend on them.

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