Taking a dig at Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, for his off-colour remarks on “women’s protection”, author-columnist Twinkle Khanna on Friday suggested that he needed to try a yoga asana [position] for “releasing gas”.
At the India Today Woman Summit and Awards, Twinkle — known as Mrs Funnybones, which is also the name of her first book — was at her wittiest while fielding questions on her life as a writer, mother, wife and her views on feminism, politicians and motherhood.
Asked what she would have to say to Adityanath, who according to session hostess Koel Purie “doesn’t have an amazing track record for his statements on women”, Khanna said: “He needs to do an asana ..., which helps release gas.
“But I think he’s also changing fashion. In fact, I had tweeted as well that Asian Paints must announce the new colour of the season — ‘Beguiling Saffron’, with a tagline: Orange is the new brown.”
Women empowerment and feminism is a subject close to the heart of the actress-turned-writer, whose latest column explored sexual harassment at work.
Of late, Bollywood’s leading ladies such as Alia Bhatt, Sonakshi Sinha and Deepika Padukone have been seen in T-shirts with feminist slogans. But there’s a need to go beyond that, says Khanna.
What is she doing on that front?
“I think for me, my version of feminism is based on me pushing the envelope by picking stories I tell and projects I plan. So I am making a movie called Pad Man. It revolves around menstruation and sanitary pads.”
Pad Man is based on a real-life story of Arunachalam Muruganantham, who devised a cheaper way to make sanitary pads for women in his village and also sells the machine that makes low-cost pads to non-government organisation to work towards women’s hygiene.
“I’ve put my money, my clout, my goodwill and determination behind a project which I believe will alleviate the burden from a lot of women, and will take a part of our biology that is right now wrapped in newspaper and shoved down black plastic bags and bring it out for open discussion.
“That’s my version of feminist.”
Khanna says she chased Muruganantham for eight months, and when they spoke, she found an instant connect with his one-liners and how he doesn’t take himself very seriously. He once told her: “You look like the actress ... Raveena Tandon.”
“I was about to drop his story,” Khanna said, jokingly. She also recalled a prank her family members played on her when they were recently handed a bag at home, and told that it had her “Pampers”.
At a time when marriages and relationships are becoming increasingly volatile, Khanna says she is happy being part of a “great team”.
Khanna and Akshay Kumar have been married for 16 years, and have two children — son Aarav and daughter Nitara.
About their marriage, Khanna said: “I think it’s a great team. We are playing tennis doubles, and I think that’s a pretty good foundation for a marriage to last.”
On the importance of sex in a marriage, she said: “Sex is important at every stage.”
Khanna added: “The things that I find attractive in Akshay have changed over the years”.
The author-columnist, known for her wit and humour, added that she wants to emulate Kumar’s “calm and composed mind”.
She also ensures Kumar — who she says has more pairs of shoes than her — goes through her columns before they are published and he rates them.
“He knows what resonates with people. He has a pulse on what people say and feel,” said Khanna, who says she is “comfortable” in her 40s.
Motherhood, she says, has been a life-changing experience.
“You experience love and pain in all its glory.”
