EXCLUSIVE: Soundarya Sharma recalls being targeted and objectified, says, “If you speak up, it’s sometimes mistaken as she wants attention”

Soundarya Sharma was also passionate about theatre. She played the lead role in the film Ranchi Diaries, produced by Anupam Kher and Rashmin Majithia. The film was released in October 2017, and she was nominated for the ‘Best Female Debutant’. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Bubble, Soundarya Sharma said when you are speaking up people misinterpret it for seeking attention.

Soundarya Sharma on unsafe situations in film industry

When asked if there is a feeling of being unsafe in the film industry, Soundarya Sharma said, “See, I’ll tell you honestly—us girls are born and raised in India, and you can’t fight certain mentalities of some men around, right? You can’t fight that, because they are like that. And I don’t know how that revolution will happen when everyone changes their mindset. It’s a very personal, sick mentality, but not everyone holds that mentality. I don’t know what happened to them or whatever, but I think every girl, in some way or another, has experienced something like this while growing up.”

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Soundarya Sharma recalls being attacked by truck driver

Recalling a childhood incident of being attacked, Soundarya Sharma shared, “For instance, I was once attacked by a truck driver when I was a child, and there are so many things like that. I don’t want to get into the details of who objectified whom, but from a larger perspective, women have been targets for all this. So, I would just say that you have to be strong enough to deal with it and not pay attention to certain sectors and certain people in life because things like this happen.”

She continued, “These things have made us stronger. Eve-teasing and all that—it’s a very sick mindset. What can you do when there are so many rape cases happening? Recently, we’ve seen so many cases—the Kolkata case and many more. So what can you do? Things like this keep happening, so you have to stand up for yourself. Just talking about these things in interviews doesn’t bring about a revolution in life. How does that change anything?”

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Soundarya Sharma on speaking up mistaken for attention

The actress believes in speaking up for yourself. “Right, they say that if you speak up and talk about this, sometimes it’s mistaken as ‘she wants attention, that’s why she’s saying all this.’ People don’t give you the benefit of the doubt, like ‘Oh yes, she must have gone through something really bad, and it must have traumatized her.’ What I feel deep down is that a lot of girls, I think, always put up their guard, but sometimes you still feel helpless. I have also been targeted and objectified in many ways, even in the workplace—not just in Bollywood. I’m a medico, so I know what happens. A lot of things happen in day-to-day life,” Sharma remarked.

Soundarya Sharma believes in being a fighter

Soundarya firmly stands on being a fighter and guarding yourself. “But then everyone knows how to protect themselves, right? You can’t be overly sensitive to everything. Be a fighter and fight through it. This is what our parents have taught us—you have to protect yourself and guard yourself. My mom always says, ‘If you’re walking down the road, always watch out and protect yourself,’ because even due to someone else’s mistake, you end up paying the price. Right? So what can we do now?” she said.

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The actress concluded, “We are living in a country where some people are like this. And maybe we’re in the metros, but who knows what happens in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, with girls, children, women, even men. I would say—it’s not just women. So many people are subjected to various individual crises, both domestically and in public places, even in the workplace.”

Watch the full interview

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Soundarya Sharma claims Bigg Boss participants are FAKE; says, “People do things for the camera”