Empower women to make society progress: Shabana

Gurvinder Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, May 20

Celebrated Bollywood actor Shabana Azmi said she learnt an important lesson from her father which stays with her. She said when her father suffered from paralysis he went back to village he was born in and started making schools, colleges and generated employment in villages focusing on girl child.

“I once asked him if he gets disappointed when change doesn’t happen at the pace he wanted. He said change might not occur within your lifetime. If you keep with absolute conviction, change will come even if it comes after you are gone,” she said, remembering her father’s words. She was here for an interaction with city women.

She said true way to measure progress of a society was in empowering women.

“It isn’t that women should start acting like men or men should start behaving like women. There are differences between women and men, these need to be celebrated by giving them equal importance and opportunity in the society,” she said.

Even though it is said that education can empower women, what if that education reinforces the gender divides, she asked. The problem arises when stereotypes are reinforced, she said.

Equality has to be there from the beginning, she said, adding: “Our daughters need to be brought up with equal opportunity, and sons need to be raised to respect women.”

“Even in films, there is a need to stop objectifying women under the guise of sensuality. But the fault for this lies both with film makers and audience,” she added.

She said actors have a responsibility to speak about issues of society. Many cinema houses were not willing to accept her film ‘Arth’, dismissing it won’t work because in the conclusion, the wife rejects a husband seeking forgiveness, she added.

“But Mahesh Bhatt and I did not budge as that was the message and conclusion we wanted to show. The film later turned out to be a great success. But after the film, many women started coming to me talking about their marital conflicts. It was intimidating at first because I was just an actor. But, then I realised that actors also have a power and responsibility to raise important issues in the society,” she said.

She added that women, who get empowered, must make efforts to empower other women. They must create support groups, she said.

When asked about the issue of triple talaaq, she said that she has already spoken many a time that it violates the rights of women and there is no mention of it the Quran as well.