Mallika Sherawat Says Always Women Are Targeted For Doing Bold Scenes, Male Actors Get Away. It’s Unfair!

Mallika Sherawat Says Always Women Are Targeted For Doing Bold Scenes, Male Actors Get Away. It’s Unfair!

I’m going to state a very obvious fact—we live in a patriarchal society. The kind of patriarchal society that thinks it’s okay for a man to do a particular thing and not a woman. A society that is so dictated by men that a woman gets pulled up for the same things that men don’t get pulled up for. And this fact is irrespective of the woman’s class, stature, caste, religion, etc. If she is a woman and is doing something that is ‘too bold’ or ‘unladylike,’ then we as a society are going to mistreat her and target her. Because we cannot accept a woman being bold and expressive, even if the woman is an actress and it is her job to do a particular thing for the role. In fact, Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat, in a recent interview, echoed this sentiment when she revealed she was pulled up for bold scenes, while her male co-stars got away with any and everything.

In her interview, Mallika Sherawat said that the fact that we live in a patriarchal society can be seen when a man is able to get away with something a woman is pulled up for. She was also reminiscent of her earlier roles and revealed how she was treated by the media for doing ‘bold scenes’ while no one bothered to ask the male actors. 

She did admit to the fact that things have changed in the film industry and now ‘frontal nudity’ is considered to be artistic in some films. But things were not the same when she was playing characters that had ‘bold scenes’ in the movie. In fact, she was pulled up for playing those scenes, while her male co-actors got away without being questioned by the media.

Also Read: Actress Mallika Sherawat Opens Up Her Bold Scenes In Murder. Says She Was Seen As A Fallen Woman.

Mallika was asked about why she was targeted and none of her male co-stars, the Bollywood actress replied, “That’s what the patriarchal system is. It’s always the women who are always targeted, not the men. Not only in India, but that’s all over the world. Men walk away with everything, they can get away with everything, it’s like they (those who target) blame the woman for everything. I don’t know why, but more so in India, I feel. I also think society wasn’t evolved, people would think differently. Plus, the media didn’t support such scenes earlier, a certain section of the media.” She further added that things have changed and now the media is comparatively more supportive and even the society has evolved and been more accepting.

The actress even recalled a time in her life when she was described as a ‘porn star’ and tagged as a ‘fallen woman.’ She opened up about how she was bullied out of the country by a section of media that was primarily women. Mallika Sherawat stated, “A certain section of the media was very… They bullied me and harassed me. And that really bothered me, because… And most of them were women. Men have never had problems with me. Men have always appreciated me. And I couldn’t understand why these women are so against me, and so nasty to me. And that made me leave the country for a while because I wanted a break. But today they are more accepting of me, and they are more loving, which I’m really enjoying.”

Also Read: Mallika Sherawat Schools A Man Who Blamed Her Movies For Sexual Violence. So, The Men Have No Accountability?

There is no doubt that we are living in a patriarchal society. And for the most part, I agree with Mallika Sherawat, that things are changing and society is evolving. But there is still a long way to go. Women don’t just have to fight against the patriarchal system that is ingrained in society, but they also have to fight other women who blindly follow the norms made by this society. And that is a very long, draining battle that women will win one day. 

‘Women Should Not Feel Apologetic About Asking For What We Deserve,’ Says Katrina Kaif

Ritu Sanghvi

Read More From Ritu
Seen it all?

We’ve got more!