By FILMI FEMME
Actress Deepika Padukone seems to be the latest poster girl for issues and causes, so months after the willowy actress spoke about her battle with clinical depression, well-deserved accolades came her way for discussing a topic that many preferred brushing under the carpet.
After pledging her support for mental illness, the actress became the spokesperson for ’empower’, a slickly made three minute video by Homi Adjania featuring 100 women including Nimrit Kaur, Adhuna Akhtar amongst many others.
Titled ‘My choice’ with Deepika playing narrator. the video in collaboration with glossy Vogue magazine, touted itself to be the voice for women but unfortunately, coughed up more disdain than accolades.
So to be a ‘size 0 or a size 15 is my choice, they don’t have size of my spirit, to marry or not to marry to have sex before marriage or after marriage it’s my choice’ stated the video. And as Ms Padukone in a camisole and unclasping her bra strap tried to helm women’s liberation along with 99 other women, my only reaction was, were these ladies who certainly belonged to the privileged strata and had possibly never had to ‘struggle much in getting themselves heard’, the right candidates to speak about empowerment? Talking about body image in a country where many are malnourished; talking about obesity and anorexia empowerment as figures relating to domestic violence, rape and female foeticide continuously rise; while these ladies in a shiny black video speak about whether being adulterous, having ‘ your baby or not’ – it’s my choice! Some choice!
So was anyone impacted by their concerns of what they thought was empowerment? Sadly, no!
As criticism poured in from all quarters it was unfair for Deepika to bear the brunt of it, since she was just a voice and face in the video. The person who seriously needed to be pulled up was Homi Adjania and his team at Vogue.
Many panned the video and some like Kangana Ranaut spoke about empowerment meaning ‘empowering and not creating sexist videos’. Sonam Kapoor too, was scathing about the video, saying, “I don’t have to make a video to voice my opinions.” Sonakshi Sinha and Kalki Koechlin have also added their opinions and they’re not complimentary!
As spoofs on the video keep emerging, my appeal to Deepika is – girl, take it easy! We know you have got it in you, but try making yourself heard in the right place at the right time. Being a spokesperson for all the things you consider would make you look ‘with it’ are sadly, making you look ‘without’