‘Indian women can be intimidating for men’
Having played strong women characters in her TV shows, including Yeh Hai Mohabbatein, Divyanka Tripathi Dahiya has made an observation. The actor feels that people often judge women on the basis of their look and not personality. “If one looks soft, the assumption is that she must be soft. But I think women can surprise people. They are multi-taskers and strong, as they handle so much around them. Women can be intimidating for men, especially Indian ones. Men can’t take it if women show power or strength,” says the actor.
Dahiya goes on to state that if men are competing with each other, they are fine. But if a woman competes with them, they forget their competition and join hands against her. “Perhaps 2-3 men out of 10 are evolved, who believe in equality. But, I also feel that women shouldn’t get aggravated by it. We should focus on what we have and what we want to do,” she says.
While she has proved herself onscreen with hit TV shows, she now wants to expand her horizons and is “becoming stricter” with herself. The 36-year-old shares, “I am not succumbing to tempting offers. It’s tough to say no when you are showered with scripts and good money. But I am not satisfied with just that and feel there is more to me that needs to be explored.”
Talking about the offers she’s been turning down, the actor adds, “Most of the scripts that I’ve got are about a damsel in distress, a housewife or a regular girl unable to raise her voice against injustice. Women are often shown fighting against the world. Why? You can just go with the flow and achieve what you want,” Dahiya ends.