This change in the gender of actresses came after a public statement by Pooja Bhatt during an award function a few years ago. Sh asked why call "female actors" "actresses", and if that was the norm what would we call "women writers" and " female directors".
Btw, only in India is the term actress not used. Oscars and Cannes and Golden Globes, in their unwisdom still give out "Best Actress" award each year.