Ratna Pathak Shah (Ratna Pathak), a well-known actress of the film industry and wife of Naseeruddin Shah, believes that even today nothing has changed for women in this country, this society is becoming conservative. The actress has also raised the question that do we want to become a country like Saudi Arabia? The actress said, ‘Orthodox society first tightens its screws on its women. India can become like Saudi Arabia because it is ‘very convenient’.
In a conversation with Pinkvilla, Ratna Pathak Shah said, “Nothing has changed for women, or there have been few changes in some areas…Our society is becoming extremely conservative. I feel that very strongly. We are becoming superstitious, we are being forced into accepting and making religion a very important part of one’s life. Suddenly everyone’s talking about, ‘Karva Chauth ka vrat nai kar rahe hai aap?’. Till today no one has asked me this, last year was the first time someone asked me about it. “
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“I said, ‘Pagal hun main?’ Isn’t it appalling that modern educated women do Karva Chauth, praying for the lives of husbands so that they can have some validity in life? Widow in the Indian context is a horrible situation, isn’t it? So anything that keeps me away from widowhood. Really? In the 21st century, we are talking like this? Educated women are doing this,” she added.
The actress further said, “We are moving towards an extremely conservative society. The first thing a conservative society does is clamp down on its women. Look at all the conservative societies in this world. Women are the ones who are most affected. What’s the scope of women in Saudi Arabia? Do we want to become like Saudi Arabia? And we will become because it’s very very convenient. Women provide a lot of unpaid labour within the home. If you have to pay for that labour, who will do it? Women are forced into that situation.”
Let us tell you that Ratna Pathak Shah will soon be seen in Tarun Tudeja’s film Dhak Dhak. The film also stars Dia Mirza, Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanjana Sanghi.