Juhi Chawla: Treating a woman like a doormat is unacceptable

An ex-Miss India and also one of the most successful actresses in Hindi cinema, Juhi Chawla has seen stardom like few others. She has one of the most impressive filmographies among Bollywood actresses with hits like Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, Darr, Yes Boss and also sensitive films like My Brother Nikhil and the forthcoming I AM to her name. And these apart, she is also a business person. She is a co-owner of Kolkata Knight Riders along with her husband Jai Mehta and Shah Rukh Khan.

Here she talks in first person about woman liberalization as she sees it.

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For some time now there has been a lot of talk about women’s liberalization. I would not be a part of it because I can’t speak from a national point of view. I would rather talk from a personal point of view – from what I have seen in life.

World over women are perceived in different light. I am more acquainted to how things are in Mumbai and places around. And I am pretty sure that the scenario here is quite different from what the scenario is in smaller towns and villages. Here women get much more opportunities. I have not seen that life.

And from my experiences I can confidently say that today women are capable and also have lots of opportunities. There is scope for women to be independent so that they are not taken granted by anyone, which generally is one reason why women were ill-treated in some quarters. This is something that delights me. So my experiences tell me that women have been able to create identities of their own.

A woman has her individuality and under no circumstances is she supposed to be treated like a doormat. With changes in society she has been able to sit up and speak out. This is what liberalization means in my dictionary. It means both the sexes are treated with equality.

This brings me to the topic of celebrating Women’s Day. On first thought it is fine to have such a day considering there are days for almost everything else. But then some wise man rightly pointed – why just one day for women! It should be every day!

Women deserve more for the capability to be so much more!

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