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Sonam Kapoor on her privileged background, sexism, and the massive wage gap in film industry

Sonam Kapoor, in a candid interview to a leading daily, spoke at length about sexism and how equal opportunities for women are the need of the hour

Sonam Kapoor is one of the flagbearers of feminism in Bollywood. On more than one occasions, Sonam has voiced her opinion on the prevailing sexism everywhere and how rules are different for women in the world. And now, the actress had unabashedly spoken about the problems women face in the industry. During an interview to a leading daily, Sonam said it was men who went through PMS more than women and that it is not possible for many actresses to sit at home if they don’t like the way they are treated.

Talking to DNA, Sonam was asked if she felt sexism existed in the film industry and she said of course it did. She added not only in Bollywood, this phenomenon existed everywhere as women are judged on every step, be it the way they dress or how they behave. Sonam said she didn’t understand why people felt a pregnant woman couldn’t perform better.

The Neerja actress shed light on the fact that women’s PMS is blamed for the way they behave. She said she believed men PMS more than men, as she didn’t get the reason behind men’s conduct on many matters. Slamming the misconceptions surrounding women, Sonam said it is really unfair to assume girls are poor drivers or that they only like shopping or they can’t take care of funds. Giving the example of her own house, Sonam said her father Anil Kapoor liked shopping more than her mother.

Sonam Kapoor (photo: Indian Express/Sonam Kapoor)

Also read: Sonam Kapoor opens up about being molested at the age of 13

In the candid interview, Sonam said it was really important for people to break through these set conceptions.

Shedding more light on the sexism of Bollywood, Sonam said it is really common that actresses are not treated as well as their male counterparts. Sonam said earlier she used to judge actresses for not standing up for themselves, but later realised many women don’t have the luxury to sit at home. In this case, actresses didn’t have the option but to agree to whatever came their way. Sonam said she refused to bow down to these norms and chose to sit home for over a year after Mausam.

Also read: Sonam Kapoor’s idea of feminism is simple and right. More because it comes from ‘feminist father’ Anil Kapoor

Sonam also added she was not happy with the number of women on film sets and wanted to see more of them in the industry. She stressed on the importance of giving equal opportunities to women on every platform.

Sonam Kapoor (Courtesy: IANS)

Though this is not the first time Sonam has spoken on the matter, we think it is high time everyone understood what she meant.