International Women's Day 2021, DNA Exclusive: 'Women need to stop pulling down each other', says Urvashi Dholakia

Urvashi Dholakia needs no introduction, indeed. She has been a part of the television industry for nearly three decades and has left an impressive mark on everyone with her incredible performances in several shows. Starting with Dekh Bhai Dekh, the actor became a household name with her role as the main antagonist Komolika in Kasautii Zindagii Kay. As International Women's Day 2021 (March 8) is round the corner, we spoke to Urvashi about what does this day mean to her, feminism, empowering fellow women and more.

Excerpts...

What does International Women's Day mean to you? Do you think there should be a day like this to celebrate womanhood?

I'm a personal believer in celebrating life each day. But regardless of that fact, we, as humans still celebrate our birthdays or anniversaries. It is basically to just show what it means to us. So yes, I think that there should be a day like this to celebrate womanhood. But on a personal note, I celebrate being a woman every day of my life. This is what International Women's Day means to me, that it is a celebration, it is basically making myself feel uplifted, and uplifting other women, celebrating their achievements as well.  

How would you define the woman of this decade?

Well, on a personal note, again, women have forever been evolving and changing with times. I'm sure, have men, but women are made to adapt. It's in their DNA, to adapt to the new age, to different things, different zones and phases. So yes, I think each woman is defined differently. How do I put this correctly? I really wouldn't know. Being evolved is how I would define the woman of this decade.

Who are the women who changed and shaped your life? 

There are lots of women. To be honest, I learned from each one of them. But the first woman I think, who have learned anything from in my life is my mother. She is my Creator, my origin. So yes, it's first and foremost, my mother. After that all the other women who have come across in the way. I've learned something or the other from each one of them.

 

 

 

 

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A female public personality who you look up to for inspiration?

I think every woman inspires as well, it could be a woman in a village, who's knitting something, or who is making something, I'm gonna say you get inspiration from everywhere. We are such a vast community, you can learn so much, you can be inspired by so many. It would be really mean of me to name a few. I think I bow down to all the women who have achieved something in their own walks of life. We keep saying that, 'Oh, she's a housewife', but running a house is the most difficult job according to me. I have never been able to do it properly. They are all my inspiration, I learned from everyone.

Do you think even in a free world, women have less freedom when it comes to social media since many are subjected to online hate for sharing certain kind of photos, posts in comparison to men who get a polar opposite reaction?

I think in a free world, it all depends on upbringing. Not just that, everybody has a mind of their own. There are some of my friends who don't like to be on social media, but they're very independent women. To each his own, that's debatable but I don't know about this. I have never come under that societal pressure, never been that so it doesn't bother me personally, I can't talk for others.

How do you think women can empower other women?

I think the first and foremost thing women need to realize is that they need to stop pulling down other women. Let's start from there. Let's start from the basic, that's how we will empower the women.

A lot of people confuse feminism with male-bashing. What do you have to say to them and how do you think this mindset can be changed?

Of course, yes, feminism has taken another tone. I mean to say, it's not that all women are feminists, and let me tell you that but then everybody's ideology of feminism is very, very different. For me, I truly believe that we as women, at one point in time, were deprived of a lot of things, we did not have rights to a lot of things, even education for that matter. Then slowly, we started getting there. We started voicing out our opinions, and all of that. But somewhere down the line, I think we've just completely gone off track, where we wanted equal rights, we are now trying to be the superior power, which means nothing. Which means there is no difference between men and women. But that is what needed to end. The whole idea of feminism, according to me is to be equal. That's it, nothing more. Not superior, not inferior!