Shabana Azmi gets very irritated when young women say they’re not feminists: ‘They are still associating with the bra-burning woman’

Veteran actress Shabana Azmi recently expressed her frustration with young women who reject the label of feminism. She emphasized the misconceptions surrounding the term, stating, “Itni chid aati hain na mujhe… itni chid aati hain. Kyuki koi samajh hi nahi hain ki feminist ka matlab kya hain (I get very irritated. There is no understanding about what it means). According to Shabana, many associate feminism with outdated stereotypes, such as the “bra-burning woman,” lacking a true grasp of its essence.
Sharing a personal anecdote in an interview with Faye D’Souza, Shabana recounted a moment in America when a woman questioned her feminist credentials while she was ironing her husband Javed Akhtar‘s kurta. “This woman said, ‘You call yourself a feminist and you are ironing husband’s kurta?’ When I said what has this got to do with feminism then she said, ‘Meaning? Will he iron your sari?’ I said, ‘I will never let him do that!’ Iski understanding bahot hi weak, kamzor hain. Kya matlab ki ‘I am not a feminist’? Have you even thought about it? There is no clarity.”

When asked to define feminism, Shabana articulated that it encompasses a broader worldview. “Everything. The whole gaze in the way which you view the world is different. Men and women are different. Not better, not worse. That difference needs to be celebrated. Equal but different. For far too long, the world has solutions to all problems from the male point of view. So we have to say that we have to be included in that dialogue and force our way… You have to have your place at the table,” she stated.

Shabana Azmi was recently seen in Karan Johar‘s Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahaani, where she played the love interest of Dharmendra.