Mallika Sherawat shared a clip of a debate in which she highlighted the treatment of women in India, pointing out issues like female foeticide, gang rape and child marriage. She defended her previous statement calling India “regressive for women” and criticized influential women for suppressing voices against sexual violence, especially in the case of the murder of a Kolkata doctor.
Mallika Sherawat recently shared an old clip on her Instagram account, in which she argued with media personnel at a press meeting about women’s safety in India. The actress was asked in an interview about her previous statement in which she had said, “India is regressive for women. “She re-shared the clip to highlight how women are treated in India in the wake of nationwide outrage following the ‘rape and murder’ of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and what Hospital did.
When the interviewer asked her why she felt Indian society was regressive towards women, she replied, “I will tell you why. This is my point of view. Female feticide is happening almost every day, gang rapes are making headlines in every newspaper, and honor killings are happening – today, I tweeted about it. Today, I read in the newspaper, that according to UNFPA, 40% of Indian women – 40% – are married before the age of 18. I think this is a very regressive position for women, and I stand by that.”
She added, “When an interviewer asks me what I have to say about these gang rapes that make headlines in the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN – what will I say? Will I lie? Should I lie? As a woman, should I lie about the status of women in our country? That’s why I didn’t lie.”
The actress wrote in her post, “I still can’t forget that moment when a certain section of the Indian press attacked and threatened me for speaking out against gang rape and sexual violence in India! Some women from the press and some very big Bollywood actresses—female actresses—also joined in and publicly attacked me for speaking out against gang rape and sexual violence.”
She also expressed her solidarity with the late doctor from Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital: “This incident highlights a disturbing dynamic where, instead of supporting someone who is advocating for change, these women in influential positions are busy suppressing the voices of women like me! This behaviour fosters a culture of silence and complicity that allows sexual violence to persist. It is so important for women, especially those in the public eye, to stand in solidarity and use our platform to support those who speak out against such injustice, rather than discredit them.”
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