Kamal Ghorui
Rani Mukerji, who recently marked 30 years in the film industry, is preparing for the theatrical release of ‘Mardaani 3’, which arrives in cinemas this Friday. Over the years, the actor has often spoken about gender equality and women’s rights. While her intent has generally been well-meaning, some of her remarks have previously attracted criticism for being oddly framed or open to misinterpretation. Some of it has also sparked a debate or discussion on the internet. In a recent interview, the actor has commented on how respect towards women starts from home and children learn from what they see while growing up. Rani spoke about how a child’s understanding of respect is shaped at home, especially by observing the relationship between parents. She said during a chat with Bollywood Hungama, “I think respect starts at home. Very easily, when you see your mother being ill-treated, it empowers boys to think that if my mother can be treated like this, every other girl can be treated the same way. I think fathers need to be responsible for how they treat their wives at home, because that’s what a boy grows up seeing. If your mother is treated well, if she’s given respect, boys will understand that women are supposed to be given that respect and that darja in society.”
However, it was what she said next that sparked a discussion and also got some flak. Elaborating further, Rani added, “So it all starts at home. Even a small thing like a father raising his voice at the mother shouldn’t happen. You know, the mother should raise her voice at the father, that’s how it should be.” During the same conversation, she also shared an anecdote from her school days, recalling that she once slapped a boy. She followed it up with a light-hearted remark about her husband, filmmaker and producer Aditya Chopra, saying, “Only one boy I slapped, and the rest of the boys were my friends. And just don’t go and ask my husband what happens to him every day at home.”This sparked a debate as many felt that respect should be equal and both ways. Clips from the interview were later circulated on Reddit, where users were quick to react and criticise her remarks. One user commented, “I think she tries to be funny, but she doesn’t realise that she is NOT.”
