Life & Style

Having sex outside marriage is not empowerment: Sonakshi Sinha

Sonakshi Sinha voices her opinion about Deepika's 'My Choice' video.

Web Desk April 02, 2015

PHOTO: DNA India

Actress Sonakshi Sinha thinks that Deepika Padukone's online video My Choice means well, but that it was not sufficient to fully empower women.

Deepika’s one-and-a-half-minute-long video went viral on social media, creating quite a storm in its wake. While some came out in full support of the concept and content behind it, others have criticized it believing it to objectify women.

READ: There is a difference between My Choice and Deepika's Choice

Dabangg actress Sonakshi Sinha was among the critics, believing that the video was well-intentioned, but misdirected.

“I haven’t watched the video but I know about the thought behind it that is women empowerment… it comes from a good space but honestly I believe empowerment should be given to those women who need it, far away from where we are right now", Sonakshi said while talking to Press Trust of India.

The actress added that the video only applied to her, and others like her, who belonged to a privileged class of people who took their basic rights for granted. It was not for the masses.

“We have been bred and brought up in luxury."

READ: My body, my mind, my choice: Deepika Padukone

Sonakshi felt that empowerment was less about sex or clothing, and more about employment and strength.

"Empowerment is not just always about the kind of clothes you wear or who you want to have sex with or stuff like that. It's about employment and about strength.”

The actress added, “It's a good initiative but it should reach out to people who actually need it in the deep ends of our country.”

Watch the video that created a storm on social media here:

COMMENTS (16)

Mashael | 9 years ago | Reply @wb: well said. She said she was depressed once. I think she is still depressed. She does not have an iota of knowledge about empowerment. All she has acheived in her life is by showing her body- even for movie industry she lacks the artistic skills. Even then its okay as long as you dont start preaching others the same thing.

wb | 9 years ago | Reply This actress has said the right thing. These days feminism has come to mean women smoking cigarette, wanton sex and drinking and even drugs. Women are free to do all those things. But by any standard that doesn't mean empowerment of women. Deepika Padukone talks about empowerment of women and in the very next film she will dance to a song that equates women's body to fruits and persian sweet-meats. The song that never praises a woman's resolve, bravery, intelligence, street-smartness, entrepreneurship, sportsmanship, artistic skills, oratory skills, steadfastness...but always praises her clothes, skin color, body parts, dance moves, hotness. And we're supposed to believe that she understands women's empowerment? How is smoking cigarette a symbol of emancipation? How can poison mean freedom? We're confusing debauchery for both feminism and modernism.

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Neutral | 9 years ago | Reply But women need to expose themselves to show that they're liberated, right? If we are true followers of secular democracy, then men and women can do whatever they want. Vulgarity, individual liberty and secular democracy go hand in hand. So everything goes as far as you do not harm others. Do what you want. Forget morality, obligations and societal values. Just do it!

H | 9 years ago | Reply @Reader: When are you from? The 18th century? Wake up its 2015. You sound so ignorant.

ahmed awan | 9 years ago | Reply muslim better to not comment because the video message could be true as per hindu religion but we muslim have shame we have restrictions we have guide lines we are not jungle peoples we have to follow the rules which our God has made for us. if you are working in any organization you have to act as per their rules and regulations, than why not to follow the rules of the creator of the whole universe in which we are living? think about it whether you are muslim or hinduy, because i believe hindus also have rules and their women are also not toys, they also respect their women,

Adnan Azhar hakro | 9 years ago | Reply This video is not about sex .people are getting wrong conception .Think in broader point of view.

Faraz | 9 years ago | Reply I don't understand why anyone would want to control women and their choices? if a woman is promiscuous, I want to see that. If a woman is cocky, i want to see that. I want to see what people are really like not there society enforced personas.

Alex | 9 years ago | Reply Works for me as long as you discuss these so called "choices" with your partner before you tie the knot.

Raj - USA | 9 years ago | Reply Glad to hear one sane voice from Bollywood. Many of these bollywood actors are high school dropouts and it is really shameful if for all of us if we have to give importance to the likes of Deepila Padukone and listen to their lessons on morale values. They are actors and many of them are not even good actors and had been lucky somehow.

Laia | 9 years ago | Reply Try to see the message of the video from a broad perspective the video was not about sex, it was about choices that one has right make choice whether its a wrong a or a right choice.

SK | 9 years ago | Reply When one marries, he or she says, "I accept" and that's the choice which means you are binding yourself to the other half without bias to the gender- everything else is just total crap and will only spread chaos!!!

Dipak | 9 years ago | Reply Ask your Dad, Sonakshi, he knows the answer.

Fayza | 9 years ago | Reply I totally agree with Sonakshi Sinha and @Debilitator. Thank God there was one sensible answer from the film fraternity who is going ga ga over this video.

Reader | 9 years ago | Reply My Choice? Total crap! If everybody were free and unbridled to do whatever they wanted society would be a total chaos. Limitations set up a system; that's why even the earliest civilizations had them - both for men and women. My Choice threatens to popularize the pre-civilization orderlessness, and their only argument is celebrity glamour.

Faizan Khan | 9 years ago | Reply I wonder if a man said all these things .... Oh how he would have been lynched by the general public. Before choice we must understand that women empowerment is linked to economic empowerment not by freedom to chose

Debilitator | 9 years ago | Reply Good point. The Indians are way too enchanted by the showing of skin and the sex outside the scope of marriage. Such thoughts only show their insecurities and keenness to blindly accept western concepts and shun everything that is Indian. The number of acclaims that the movie Queen received too displays how a certain segment of India wants women to party out at nights, share hostel room with boys and have sex at the drop of a hat. These are the things which even men should not be allowed for it degenerates the society, damages its moral structure and creates hordes of fatherless children but alas the women seem all to keen to repeat the mistakes that the west had been committing for years.

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