‘DON’T TELL US WHAT TO WEAR’

Kriti Sanon tells everyone to stop carping about women’s clothes

It’s high time that people stopped commenting on what women wear. It’s our choice,” says actor Kriti Sanon, on a recent visit to Delhi to promote her film. Her reference is to controversies around female actors’ clothes, with Internet trolls going all out after Priyanka Chopra (for wearing a short dress when meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi), Fatima Sana Shaikh (for posting a swimsuit photo during Ramzan) and Deepika Padukone (for her clothes in a magazine shoot). Kriti feels very strongly about society trying to dictate what women should wear or shouldn’t wear. Going back to the Priyanka-modi meeting, she says, “Even Modi sir was not wearing a kurta pyjama; he was wearing a suit, which is Western. And Priyanka was wearing something very decent. It wasn’t vulgar attire. People need to stop telling women what to wear, or else it should be mentioned that if you’re meeting so and so, please wear a burkha.” The 26-year-old actor believes that Priyanka, who has worked in Hollywood projects such as Quantico and Baywatch and has become a popular name even in the Western entertainment circuit, has made India proud. “Priyanka is someone who represents India in so many ways and has made us proud in the entire world. She’s not someone who will do anything that harms India’s pride,” says Kriti. On International Women’s Day (March 8), Kriti had posted a video about the need to start taking action and stop bullying women. “If you have to only talk about women’s empowerment and not do anything, then just stop talking,” says Kriti. “We have to stop emphasising that women need still more empowerment, because then it means that we’re weak. It has to become [the belief] that men and women are equal.” Monika Rawal Kukreja

Actor Raima Sen (above) is on cloud nine, as she has just moved into her new house — a seafacing apartment in Juhu, Mumbai. More than buying the new pad, she’s happy that she got to live her passion of being an interior designer while doing up the entire house by herself with ideas from her sister and mother, actors Riya Sen and Moon Moon Sen, respectively. “I always wanted to have my own house, where I would take care of the interiors entirely. A house turns into a home only when you have your family along with you. The home feels positive with much warmth and peace,” says Raima, who has bought the flat in the same building, where her mother lives — the person she is extremely close to. Interestingly, Raima has looked after her new house from scratch and put much effort into making this her dream abode. Sharing her thoughts that went behind deciding the decor and colour of the house, Raima says, “I’ve kept it simple and elegant. It’s all white. It’s a sea-facing house with huge windows that make it appear more spacious. Also, the lighting for each room is different, which makes it look unique.” The actor has picked up antique objects to adorn her house from cities such us Kolkata and Delhi.” We pick up things like paintings, fans, sofa, whenever my parents or I travel,” she adds. Ask her about her favourite corner in the house, and prompt comes her reply, “My sea-facing room. I love to sit and relax on my favourite arm chair and read. There is also another den, where I can spend time watching movies, back to back.”