Dismissing rumours of her tying the knot soon with Anand Ahuja, Sonam Kapoor says only leading ladies probed on their personal lives
Sonam Kapoor
"When was the last time you heard a man talk about menstrual hygiene," questions Sonam Kapoor when we meet her for a quick conversation ahead of the release of her upcoming film, Padman. To her, this film is more than a big-ticket release - with the Akshay Kumar starrer, Kapoor wants to remove the stigma attached to the subject of menstruation.
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"I have always wondered why the subject is taboo in India. Sanitary napkins are packed like bombs; they are wrapped inside newspapers in black packets. Mothers don't broach the subject, schools don't instruct their girls about it. Grandmothers have forbidden us from entering temples on certain days of the month. A film like this, headlined by a superstar, will make people watch it," she says.
Kumar brings the story of real-life innovator Arunachalam Muruganantham, a Tamil Nadu-based social activist who designed a low-cost sanitary napkin-making machine, to the big screen. Kapoor plays his aide in bringing about the revolution. She says that her character's feminist attitude resonated with her. "She is an independent woman — a feminist and a big believer in transformation."
One to bat for feminism, Kapoor was inspired by the show of solidarity at the recent Golden Globe Awards and tweeted about how the leading ladies of Bollywood need to stand up for one another. However, she was branded a 'keyboard warrior' by many who pointed out that she offered little support to a colleague in the latter's war against a male superstar.
Sonam Kapoor with Anand Ahuja
But Kapoor says she will continue to speak her mind, backlash be damned. "I'm blunt and straightforward, so much so that my team wants me to run my tweets by them, but I flatly refuse. They often ask me to delete some posts and I tell them no. I look at it as a responsibility [as an actor]." As she looks at a promising year ahead with four films lined up, she is in a happy space personally too. Rumours have been rife that she may tie the knot with beau Anand Ahuja soon. Probe her on it and her streak of fierce independence comes to the fore again as she points out, "Why are actresses asked more about their personal lives? Is anyone asking Ranbir Kapoor or Ranveer Singh when they are getting married?"
She argues that despite her being a public figure, there has to be "sanctity to some parts of my life." "Nobody has the right to access my personal life. This one part has to be in my control. I am ready to talk about me, but there is another person involved here and I need to respect him."
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