Veteran actor Lalit Parimoo has weighed in on the controversy surrounding Mukesh Khanna’s remarks about women expressing sexual desire, saying that while everyone is entitled to their opinions, society has evolved and women today are far more open about their choices and needs.Speaking to Siddharth Kannan, Parimoo was asked about Khanna’s statement: “Koi bhi ladki agar kisi ladke ko kahe ‘I want to have sex with you’, toh woh ladki ladki nahi hai, woh dhanda karti hai (she is not a decent girl and is indulging in a profession).”Responding to the remark, Parimoo said, “Dekhiye, Mukesh ji ko toh nahi kahunga, lekin is maamle mein Mukesh ji pichhli generation ke hain. Aaj toh shayad out of 10 ladkiyan aisa keh sakti hain. Culture itna badal gaya hai ki aisa keh sakti hain. Aurat ke andar aaj ke samay mein, khaaskar padhi-likhi, paisa kamane wali aur sex mein demand karne wali ladkiyon ki tadaad badh gayi hai. Ab woh chhui-mui wali ladki kahaan rahi? Toh woh dhandha karne wali nahi hai. Woh aurat ke adhikaar ke daayre mein bol rahi hai.” (Look, I won’t comment on Mukesh ji personally, but on this issue he belongs to an older generation. Today, many women can openly express such a desire. Society and culture have changed significantly. The number of educated, financially independent women who openly express their needs, including sexual needs, has increased. The image of the overly shy and reserved woman is no longer the norm. That does not mean she is doing anything wrong; she is simply exercising her rights and agency as a woman.)
‘Women openly talk about satisfaction and relationships’
Parimoo pointed to changing social attitudes across the world and argued that women expressing their desires should not be seen as something unusual.“America aur Europe mein jahan aurat ke freedom par itni baat hui, jahan aurat orgasm tak baat karti hai, usko agar sex mein santushti nahi milti hai toh woh us purush se naata tod sakti hai. Jahan aisa culture aa chuka hai, wahan yeh toh bahut chhoti baat hai.” (In America and Europe, where women’s freedom is widely discussed, women openly talk about orgasm and sexual satisfaction. If they are not satisfied in a relationship, they may choose to leave it. In that context, a woman expressing desire is a very small issue.)While stressing that Khanna is entitled to his personal views, Parimoo added, “Yeh Mukesh ji ke vichaar hain. Mukesh ji aisa sochte hain toh theek hai bhai, usmein kya kar sakte hain. But he is not keeping up with the times.” (These are Mukesh ji’s personal views, and he is entitled to think that way. However, he is not keeping pace with changing times.)
‘His image of a woman belongs to a different era’
The actor further suggested that Khanna’s comments may stem from a traditional idea of womanhood.“Iska arth yeh bhi nikalta hai ki agar woh jeevan mein kisi stree se sambandh banaayein, toh aisi stree ki kaamna hogi jo aisi bilkul na ho. Aapke mann mein ek chhavi hoti hai na stree ki. Unke mann mein jo chhavi hai woh alag tarah ki stree ki hai. Woh shayad abhi bhi 50 ya 60 saal pehle wali Bharatiya mahila, Bharatiya madhyam varg ki padhi-likhi mahila ko dekh rahe hain.” (It also suggests that if he were to seek a partner, he would prefer a woman who is not like this. Everyone carries a certain image of womanhood in their mind. The image he seems to have belongs to a different era—perhaps that of an educated Indian middle-class woman from the 1950s or 1960s.)
