Veteran actress Shabana Azmi has often used her social standing and fame to talk about important topics pertaining to the industry and society at large.
She is one of those female stars who has broken the glass ceiling and fought for equality in the entertainment sector, paving a smooth path for the actresses of today. Recently, she recalled being questioned for being a feminist for ironing her husband Javed Akhtar’s kurta. The senior star stated that she gets irritated by people’s understanding of the word.
During a conversation with Faye D’ Souza on her YouTube Channel, stated ‘Itni chidd aati hain na mujhe kyunki koi samajh hi nahi hai ki feminist ka matlab kya hain. (I get very irritated because there’s no understanding about what feminist means).’ The senior star further expressed that people are still associating it with the ‘bra-burning woman’ and they don’t really know anything. She went on to share an anecdote when she was questioned for ironing her husband, veteran screen and dialogue writer, ‘s kurta.
Recalling the incident, the Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani actress divulged that she was in America, ironing Akhtar’s Kurta when a woman told her, ‘You call yourself a feminist and you are ironing husband’s kurta?’ Responding to her query, the actress questioned what it has to do with feminism. To which the other woman replied, ‘Meaning? Will he iron your sari?’ Without taking a pause, Azmi told her that she would never let her husband do that. As she spoke about this interaction with the woman, the National Award-winning actress stated that the understanding of people about it is weak. ‘Kya matlab ki ‘I am not a feminist’? Have you even thought about it? There is no clarity,’ Shabana Ji quipped.
In the same chat, she also shared her understanding of feminism and said that, according to her, it’s everything. ‘The whole gaze in the way which you view the world is different,’ she stated adding that men and women are different, not better, not worse. Azmi expressed that people should celebrate the differences and know that they are equal but different. Moreover, for too long, the world kept the male point of view in mind while giving solutions to problems. But today, feminists state that they have to be included in that dialogue and have a plate at the table.