When Deepika Padukone, Rani Mukherji, and Anushka Sharma debated on the topic of women's safety

The resurfacing of a 2018 interview featuring prominent Bollywood actresses discussing women's safety has reignited a heated debate online. This discussion, which included Rani Mukerji, Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Anushka Sharma, Tabu, and Taapsee Pannu, gained renewed attention following a recent horrific incident in Kolkata. The case of rape and murder has shocked the nation, prompting a revisitation of the actresses' viewpoints on how women should protect themselves.

In the interview during the Actress Roundtable, Rani Mukerji's comments sparked significant controversy. She emphasized that women need to be more proactive in defending themselves. Rani argued that women should be "responsible" for their own safety and suggested that they should learn martial arts. Her stance was that if a woman finds herself in a dangerous situation, she should be prepared to take immediate action. "If you ever come to a situation like that, you have the courage to say ‘back off.’ Everything relates to what you want in your life," Rani stated. She further elaborated that in such instances, women should ensure that the perpetrator faces immediate consequences, advocating for self-defense tactics such as delivering a swift kick or slap to the attacker, making him "fearful of not doing it again."


However, this perspective was met with disagreement, particularly from Deepika Padukone and Anushka Sharma. Deepika expressed her concern over Rani’s suggestion, pointing out that not every woman is built with the kind of resilience or physical capability to defend herself in such situations. "I don’t think everyone is constructed with that sort of DNA, unfortunately," Deepika remarked. She challenged the notion that women should bear the burden of protecting themselves, arguing that society should instead focus on preventing these situations from occurring in the first place. "We’re now talking about self-defense. Why should it even get to that stage where I need to learn how to defend myself? All of these things are great, but nip it in the bud; that situation itself should not arise,” Deepika asserted.

Anushka Sharma echoed Deepika’s sentiments, adding that while self-defense is important, the larger issue lies in addressing the root cause of violence against women. She emphasized that the responsibility should not solely rest on women to protect themselves but should involve a broader societal change to ensure women’s safety.

The differing opinions among the actresses highlight a broader conversation about the responsibility of women's safety. While Rani Mukerji’s stance emphasizes empowerment and preparedness, Deepika Padukone and Anushka Sharma call for a societal shift that removes the onus from women and places it on preventing the circumstances that lead to such dangers in the first place.