Neha Dhupia: We shouldn’t make big deal about women empowerment

Actress Neha Dhupia says she doesn’t understand the hue and cry around women’s empowerment in showbiz as change has already seeped in. The former beauty queen feels that “the more we talk about it, the more we sound like we need it”.

“I really don’t think that we should make a big deal about women empowerment because the more we talk about it the more we sound like we need it and we don’t need it. I think it (demand for empowerment) is just something that is used by a certain set of people,” Neha said.

Talking about herself, she added: “I am an independent single woman and I don’t need to be empowered by anything, except that drive to do better everyday in life. So, I really don’t understand what the hue and cry is about.”

Pointing out a positive change, the actress shared, “If you are talking about roles, then it is all changing. Now, there are so many author-backed roles for women. And there are some scripts where women fit in a different way and there are some scripts where women fit in a certain way.”

The actress has explored different creative fields — be it winning a beauty pageant, starring in films, working on television with fiction series “Rajdhani” in late 1990s, and now exploring the non-fiction TV space ‘MTV Roadies X4’.

She is best remembered for her roles in films like ‘Julie’, ‘Kyaa Kool Hai Hum’, ‘Delhii Heights’ and ‘Phas Gaye Re Obama’.

Neha, who joined hands with beauty brand Kiehl’s and Teach For India to educate underprivileged children, emphasises that women “have privilege to do whatever they need to do, whatever they want to do”. But she rued that women “only lack safety”.

“As a citizen of the country, the one thing that I would pledge or want people to provide us with is safety and nothing else. Women are at par as to men.”

Inputs from IANS

Also read: Neha Dhupia:Being public face makes a difference