Gulf News

Karisma supports #MeToo

Bollywood actress was part of a meetand-greet session at the ongoing Sharjah Internatio­nal Children’s Film Festival

- By Manjusha Radhakrish­nan, Chief Reporter

Indian actress Karisma Kapoor threw her weight behind the women who have sparked the #MeToo movement in India and stressed on the importance of creating a “safe environmen­t at workplace”.

“I support these women and it’s very important to respect them and listen to them. The work environmen­t and every place that they are in should be made safe,” said Kapoor on the sidelines of the ongoing Sharjah Internatio­nal Children’s Film Festival (SICFF).

In the last few weeks, the hashtag #MeToo has been trending in India, as women called out their predators by sharing their stories of sexual abuse toppling popular actors, authors, journalist­s and filmmakers.

But it isn’t just the #MeToo movement that the Indian National Award-winning actress lent her star power to. Kapoor was a celebrity guest at SICFF 2018, which concludes tomorrow, and participat­ed in a meet-and-greet session on Tuesday evening.

“Two years ago, my daughter [Sameira Kapoor] took part in a children’s film festival and she was keen to participat­e in this too. But she couldn’t miss her school. It’s important that we motivate these young brains. There’s so much of talent out there and it was wonderful to interact with these young talents,” said Kapoor. Her daughter had exhibited her short film Be Happy at a children’s film festival in Hyderabad in South India.

“We were born in to films and I love everything about the world of films,” said Kapoor, who was at the peak of her career in the 90s and early 2000. In 2012, she was seen in Dangerous Ishhq, but has been keeping a low profile since.

So what’s next for the actress? Is she considerin­g a web series such as The Sacred Games, which starred her brotherin-law Saif Ali Khan?

“For me, motherhood and taking care of my kids is my priority. But I have been looking at scripts but I can’t talk about it yet,” said Kapoor, hinting that she’s considerin­g web series too.

The 44-year-old is also one of the most well-preserved actors in Bollywood. Her mantra is simple.

“It’s important to live a little. I eat everything in moderation. I eat a bit of carbs too and please don’t succumb to pressure to look perfect,” said Kapoor.

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 ?? Photos by Arshad Ali/Gulf News and Atiq Ur Rehman/Gulf News ?? Kapoor interacts with mascots.
Photos by Arshad Ali/Gulf News and Atiq Ur Rehman/Gulf News Kapoor interacts with mascots.
 ??  ?? Karisma Kapoor with a fan.
Karisma Kapoor with a fan.

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