Shabana
Azmi
has
always
used
her
reach
and
influence
to
talk
about
issues
that
matter.
In
a
recent
interview,
the
veteran
actress
got
talking
about
patriarchy
and
how
it
not
only
affects
women,
but
also
men
as
people
are
pushed
to
fit
into
defined
gender
norms
and
roles.
In
an
interview
with
IANS,
Shabana
opened
up
about
how
many
steps
were
taken
when
she
was
an
MP,
to
prevent
female
foeticide,
and
that
the
issue
has
its
roots
in
patriarchy.
"Many
years
ago,
when
I
was
a
Member
of
Parliament,
I
was
on
a
committee
that
was
set
up
by
the
chief
minister's
wife
on
the
scourge
of
female
foeticide.
Many
steps
at
that
point
were
taken
and
one
feels
that
ultimately,
it
is
based
in
patriarchy.
The
belief
that
a
boy
should
be
privileged
at
birth
because
of
being
born
male
--
that
discrimination
against
the
girl
child
exists
all
through
her
childhood,
adolescence
and
then
later
adulthood," she
said.
Shabana
continued,
"What
we
need
to
do
is
to
tackle
patriarchy,
because
patriarchy
affects
not
only
women
but
also
men.
Men
also
internalise.
We
have
definite
ideas
of
how
a
man
should
behave.
Boys
should
never
cry
--
why
shouldn't
they?
Why
is
it
looked
down
upon?"
"Why
do
we,
at
the
age
of
three,
decide
that
girls
should
be
playing
with
dolls
and
the
minute
a
boy
decides
to
play
with
dolls
we
say,
ehaww,
this
is
terrible'.
All
this
stratification
that
starts
sometimes
consciously
and
sometimes
unconsciously,
is
what
we
need
to
really
get
to
the
root
of," she
added.
Shabana
concluded
that
the
only
way
to
bring
about
change
is
by
tackling
the
root
cause,
and
she
feels
it
is
a
huge
battle
to
fight.
Talking
about
work,
Shabana
will
next
be
seen
in
Sheer
Qorma,
an
LGBT
romance
film
which
also
stars
Divya
Dutta
and
Swara
Bhasker.
The
film
is
directed
by
Faraz
Arif
Ansari.