No one can deny Manoj Bajpayee is a great actor. But today we are not going to talk about his acting skills. Rather, we want to celebrate the man, who never shied away from treating women as equal; who always encouraged women around him to make sure that they realize their true potential.
In an exclusive interview with India.com, he shared amazing thoughts on women empowerment:
1. Women Empowerment Starts At Home
“I am an expert on this, for me, women empowerment was a common thing. Since the time I was born, growing up, my mother called the shots in my house. And likewise my three sisters, they bullied us more than we did. In my household, it was a done thing that a woman is dictating and giving instructions and that’s how we have gotten used to that. For me, women’s empowerment was always there because I was always surrounded by empowered women. So in my life my daughter and my wife – they call the shots, in fact, which side of the bed I will be sleeping is decided by my wife, I am like a rat in front of them. I take all the instructions. That’s how women can be empowered, it always starts from home.”
2. We Need To Raise Better Sons
“Especially it’s the mothers’ responsibility in bringing up their son, to make him realize how human and important its to respect women and not mistreat them. Rather than thinking mera toh prince hai, king hai, mera raja beta hai, so anything that he does to his wife is a done thing to his mother.”
3. Making Our Girls Learn Self-Defense Techniques
In order to make daughters feel safe and empowered, Manoj mentioned :
‘Educate your girls about the power of their body and the need to learn self-defense techniques. Don’t depend on others and empower yourself,’
4. Don’t Give Up When Things Get Tough
In another interview with ‘Jeena Issi Ka Naam Hai’, Manoj Basjpayee’s sister shared how he always encouraged her to give the best shot at the job:
“Jab maine office join kara tha toh roz main aapse bolti thi ki mujhe nahi karni yeh naukri. Aap mujhe roz samjhate the ki naukri nahi choddni hai jab tak boss ko yeh nahi pata chal jaaye ki tumhari ahmiyat kya hai. Ussi baat ki wajah se main aaj yahan pohochi hu.”
5. Respect For Women Actors
He is one of the few voices in the industry who demanded respect for female actors:
“It’s a time for female actors to get and be respected for what they are and what they can deliver. This is something that only they were looking for but we as male counterparts were also looking for a situation like this where everybody is getting what they deserve,”
At IFORHER, we are in awe of Manoj Bajpayee and hope more men seek inspiration from him to be a real champion of women’s empowerment. If we have more men supporting women in their quest for equality, we will definitely create a better and safer world for women.