Indian actress Mallika Sherawat is facing the music for her comments about her country.
In an interview with Variety magazine on the sidelines of the Cannes film festival, the actress, known for her bold and sexually-charged roles in Bollywood, said India was regressive for women and that the society was “hypocritical”.
“Now that I’ve experienced social freedom [in the West] and when I go back to India, which is so regressive for women, it’s depressing,” Sherawat said.
Her comments have invited a wave of criticism, even from Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra, who said she was “extremely offended”.
“I think we are a progressive nation. I disagree that we are a regressive nation. I think it’s a misrepresentation of what our great nation is on the world platform,” Chopra said on Monday at an event in Mumbai. “I think [Mallika’s comments] were very callous and I don’t agree with her. It was upsetting for me as a woman. It was upsetting for me as an Indian girl. I don’t think it’s fair.”
Sherawat has also been received flak for her comments on Twitter.
“How can you make a sweeping statement that India is a regressive country?” asked one, to which Sherawat responded: “The state of women is regressive with rapes everyday.”
She later posted a tweet, standing by her claims, then added:
“Keep Calm and Carry on.”
Sherawat made her Bollywood debut as a leading actress in Khwahish in 2003, best known for its 17 lip locks featuring her and co-star Himanshu Malik, racy for Indian standards at that time. Though she’s gone on to star in more than 20 films, including a few B-grade films in the US, major stardom has eluded her so far.
She will next be seen in a film called ‘Dirty Politics’.
“It’s about the story of a woman who gets involved with a politician,” she told Variety. “It was not her who scandalised society. India is such a hypocritical society where women are really at the bottom of society compared to men. And here was this woman who actually had the courage to stand up to this politician who kind of raped her, molested her, abused her and record his misgivings and release it to the press. You don’t do that in a country like India.”
