“Being a liberated woman is not about smoking & abusing” – Sutapa Sikdar

By Subhash K. Jha -

November 9, 2017 - 10:37 AM IST

You may know her as Mrs Irrfan Khan. But Sutapa Sikdar is a talented writer and now a producer. Yes, she has co-produced her star-husband’s new film Qarib Qarib Singlle. “Actually, this is the second film of my husband where I am producer. Earlier I had produced Madari. But this time for Qarib Qarib Singlle I must say I’ve been far more hands-on. I did everything on my own. It’s been exhausting but an enriching experience,” says Sutapa who has set aside her own ambitions to bring up two sons while husband Irrfan has been out working.

“Being a liberated woman is not about smoking & abusing” – Sutapa Sikdar

“I guess in a way that makes me less of a feminist than some women would like it to be. I am okay with that. In fact I don’t want to be labelled a feminist. I’d rather define my identity in the way that I am most comfortable with. I really think we need to stop stereotyping women. A lot of this image-building of women is based on consumerist theories…women who smoke, talk loudly or abuse are ‘liberated’. No thanks, then I am not liberated. Size 0 is not liberating. It is anorexic,” says Sutapa.

In Qarib Qarib Singlle Sutapa is happy to give us a leading lady who is normal. “Parvathy who plays opposite my husband is a normal healthy girl. The film has a relatable female protagonist. Not some gym-produced wonder-woman. I think we need to make more movies about real characters, people who are like us.”