INTERVIEW
ou have always been a frontrunner for gender justice and equality. How has been your journey as a gender activist been so far? A.
I was about 15-16 years old when I began noticing that the world with men is different, and the world with women is different, and till then I had not noticed that much. So I was in standard 10th or 11th when I noticed that there are subtly different rules for boys and girls and there was also a set of conditioning. When I was in school, girls were always picking up fashion magazines and boys who are always picking up car magazines. I was okay with fashion magazines but I also wanted to see what was there in the car magazines. When I asked the boys in my class to see if I could check out the car magazines, they said I was a tomboy; and I said, no I am not. I am just someone who wants to know other things as well. So I think my radar picked up different sets of conditioning and rules that existed. Over the years I have always, wherever I felt that there are different sets of rules, tried to bend them a little. So when I was in college, we had one hand- me- down gearless scooter and one motorcycle and I wanted the motorcycle. So everybody was like, take the gearless scooter and it is easy to ride for girls. But what’s the difference? Both are two-wheelers. Does that mean girls can’t use gears? So these little things have always been a part of the way I have thought from a very young age. Today, when I look back, I realise that I was rebelling, very actively. So wherever I find out that there is a gender wall, my first instinct is to try and get through it.
Q. At your wedding, you were seen as a bold bride. Sadly, there were people who criticised you for breaking the mould, while there were those few who also applauded you. How did you take the criticism, and the approbation, which came just after your wedding? A.
The next day, when I saw the newspaper and news channel had visuals, I felt that there was gender conditioning that was carried there. I didn’t want to be the bride who is quiet and shy on her wedding. I think that was the reason I did that and I am glad that more people are now breaking the mould. My point is that people need to have a conversation on these topics; and if there are conversations, that means there is a movement and a shift in ideology. First, people need to identify the problem and then address it; and the third step would be the difference which establishes gender equality. Also, there are certain people who are gaining from this lack of equality. When there is no equality, by default there is a greater sense of privilege in men. When you start treating women equally, this sense of privilege will go away. There is going to be a backlash. The point is how pleasant can we make that. It is a slow process; we can’t expect an overnight change because if we are starting the process of addressing a problem now, we have to wait 40-60 years for results to come out.
Q. Looking back at your Bollywood journey, you have played several women-oriented roles in your movies. Was it a conscious decision or did it just happen? A.
My world view and the way I see life—that’s what is going to guide any decision I make, including the choice of movies. I can’t alter my world view. I have the highest respect for all kinds of actors who play all kind of roles, but I am drawn towards a certain kind of cinema and certain kinds of roles. Today there are enough films being made where women are driving the agenda. There are going to be few films where women will be protagonists because ultimately this is a male-dominated society. It is just like how we see fewer female pilots, directors, police professionals, lawyers. But it’s changing now. So overall, there is a pivotal change that is coming. What a filmmaker sees in society is what he or she is going to create in a film. As more and more women are doing mainstream jobs now, we will see more and more female protagonists in films.
Q. You have recently got your pilot’s license? How was it, learning to fly? A.
When I was 17, I wanted to learn how to fly. Over the last 4-5 years, I decided to make a go for it and give it my best. I had the opportunity and resources to make it happen, but I was also able to take time out, study for those exams, clear those exams and go out there and get the training until I got my license. So it was a big goal for me and I have a supportive family who supported me in all my interesting endeavors. The day I finished my training, I posted it on Instagram and in a few hours I was trending. I didn’t realise that the news of
“When I was 17, I wanted to learn how to fly. Over the last 4-5 years, I decided to make a go for it and give it my best. I had the opportunity and resources to make it happen, and I was also able to take time out, study and clear those exams, and go out there and get the training until I got my license.”