Kalki Koechlin speaks out against gender disparity and patriarchy in Bollywood

MUMBAI: Kalki Koechlin has once again spoken about gender disparity and patriarchy in Bollywood, Indian media reported. 

The critically acclaimed actress is best known for her character roles that defy the stereotypical portrayal of women in Indian cinema, and has been credited for publicly expressing her opinions.

In 2014, she had presented an intense monologue on the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 8 in Delhi. This instantly went viral and talked about the effects of patriarchy on our societies.

The Margarita with a Straw actress said “Bollywood is as patriarchal as our society. I once met a producer who asked me about my age and I said, 30. To this, he replied, ‘Don’t worry, you still have five years left.’ Another producer showed me the exact spot on my face where I needed to get a botox.”

“There’s a lot of pressure on women in Bollywood. Objectification of women is very predominant, but I am happy that gradually things are changing. ‘Piku’ and ‘Queen’, both women-oriented films, brought a fresh change in Bollywood.”

“You only get paid more than a man if you are Priyanka Chopra,” she said when asked to remark on gender disparity in Bollywood.

When someone from the audience asked why she hated men so much, Kalki replied, “I don’t hate men. Ours is a patriarchal society. Had it been a matriarchal society, I would have supported men. I would have been a ‘meninist’. For me, it’s all about equality.”

When someone asked her why she had started talking about women empowerment only after her divorce, Kalki answered, “If you do some research on my work, you’ll know that I have always supported women, and not only after my divorce.”

Kalki who is of French descent actress had moved out of her house for studies when she was 18. “I knew I wanted to act, but I viewed success in a different way. Success for me is being the best version of myself. Staying away from home helped me discover myself, which helped me a lot in my career. Leaving home teaches you a lot. You become independent,”

She added that “I have faced a huge identity crisis and still face it. I was born in Puducherry to French parents, who came to India from Angers, France. I then settled in Tamil Nadu, went abroad, came to Bengaluru and then shifted to Mumbai. But I always say, my skin is white but my heart is brown.”

Imran to raise four issues at Lahore rally today: sources

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan is likely to highlight four issues in his speech including Panama Papers’ at his Lahore rally today, ARY News reported.

The speech will consist of four main parts. The first part will be about Labour Day and the challenges faced by workers across the country.

The second part is based on the Panama Papers where he will insist on a transparent investigation in the matter.

The third part will be on the judicial commission and the controversy surrounding the TORs which are drafted by the government.

The final part will be on criticizing the policies of the Sharif brothers and the return of ill-gotten wealth back into the country.

All set for PTI ‘power show’ in Lahore

LAHORE: Arrangements have been finalized for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s rally in Lahore today, said organisers.

PTI chairman Imran Khan is expected to address the public gathering after 8pm. Party sources revealed that his speech will surround four key features including labours’ rights,  Panama Papers’ revelations, ToRs of judicial commission to probe Panama leaks and plundering of national wealth.

People are converging at the rally venue in large number to express support for their party.

Meanwhile, after mistreatment of women at a public gathering in Islamabad, PTI has decided to deploy ‘bouncers’ at its Lahore rally to avoid any untoward incident.

Read more: Lahore rally to be a ‘warm-up’ for Raiwind match, says Imran

A bouncer is an unarmed burly man deployed at private and public gatherings to control crowds. Bouncers worldwide are required to have strong built, bear good character and not addicted to the use of drugs to say the least.

The PTI chief also issued directives to ensure that the women activists and supporters remain at a safe distance from male participants in order to avoid mistreatment of anyone.

Following the episode in Islamabad, PTI leader Uzma Kardar had complained to party chairman Imran Khan about mistreatment doled out to her by party activists

Do not make us scared of forensic audit: Pervez

LAHORE: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcast Pervez Rashid on Sunday said his party leadership should not be made scared of forensic audit.

“We have had three to four times forensic audit before in different eras,” he said while addressing media with Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique and MNA Talal Chaudhry in Lahore .

He said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had presented himself before the commission for probe into Panama leaks because he had clean record.

The minister said father of the prime minister, Mian Sharif, had started his steel business in 1936, while Nawaz’s business flourished even before he came into politics.

He said Sharif’s father had billions of rupee Ittefaq factory which was seized by former prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Later, steel factory of Sharif family was also seized.

He said those who had accumulated black money were creating hurdles in the constitution of probe commission consisting of Supreme Court Judges.

Rashid said forensic audit was conducted in former president Pervez Musharraf’s era as well. His oppression had forced the PM’s sons, Hussain Nawaz and Hassan Nawaz, to stay abroad, otherwise they were not willing to stay away from their home country.

Pervaiz Rashid said during the period of dictatorship, Nawaz Sharif’s family was put on exile. He said his elder son Hussain was confined in Jeddah and younger one Hassan in London and their passports were confiscated. They settled there and started their business.

“From grandfather to grandchildren of Sharif family were held accountable and jailed at one time,” he said.

Three human traffickers nabbed in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Three human traffickers were nabbed on Sunday from Islamabad on accusation of sending people abroad illegally.

The human traffickers, Babar, Safdar and Iqbal Hussain are accused of sending people out of the country on fake United Nations letter.

According to Wikipedia, many Pakistani women and men migrate voluntarily to the Persian Gulf States, Iran, Turkey, South Africa, Uganda, Greece, and other European countries for low-skilled employment such as domestic work, driving or construction work. Once abroad, some become victims of labor trafficking.

False job offers and high fees charged by illegal labor agents or sub-agents of licensed Pakistani Overseas Employment Promoters increase Pakistani laborers’ vulnerabilities and some laborers abroad find themselves in involuntary servitude or debt bondage.

Employers abroad use practices including restrictions on movement, non-payment of wages, threats, and physical or sexual abuse. Moreover, traffickers use violence, psychological coercion and isolation, often seizing travel and identification documents, to force women and girls into prostitution in the Middle East and Europe.

PM Nawaz to lay foundation stones of projects tomorrow: Quetta mayor

QUETTA: Mayor of Quetta Kalimullah Khan Kakar said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday will lay the foundation stone of several projects during his visit to the provincial capital.

According to Radio Pakistan, the mayor made the statement as he was talking to a delegation.

The projects include Guli Mar Chouk under-pass, widening of Saryab Road Quetta and Mizan Chouk Parking plaza are included in the projects.

He expressed his optimism that the issues, being faced by the people, would be addressed by the inauguration of the projects.

Kakar went on to say that PM Sharif has taken special interest in making Quetta more beautiful.

Omaima Hoshan -The Syrian teenager fighting against child marriages

MAFRAQ: Morning creeps up on the Zaatari refugee camp, an ever-increasing settlement of Syrians who have fled the war across the border. Omaima Hoshan meets up with a group of young girls; some accompanied by their parents and then leads them to a makeshift workshop in the camp. The workshop organized is to help discourage the young girls from the custom of child marriage.

The 15-year-old Omaima Hoshan is not an ordinary teenage girl. She is working on the frontline against the prevalent issue of child marriages. Since the start of a civil war in Syria, more than half of the country’s population has been displaced, with many of them becoming refugees. Poverty and lack of protection puts child refugees at heightened risk of being married underage.

Of the 1.3 million Syrian refugees residing in Jordan, a concerning 32% of them had been married off before they reached the age of 18. This included Hoshan’s best friend, who was forced to enter into a wedlock at the age of 13.

Since then, she has been playing an active part in the campaign against underage marriage, by organizing workshops and helping educate parents and young girls about its consequences. Her interactive sessions help spread awareness about child marriages and encourage young girls to stay at school.

“These workshops are for parents and teenage girls, which help them build their future,” she says about her work.

Hoshan herself is a refugee of war but circumstances could not prevent her from taking up the cause and making big changes to the lives of many, that too at such a young age.

“Girls from my home have their future lost or destroyed. This is something I cannot accept… I have to fight for women’s right,” she tells reporters. She plans to marry herself one day but on her own terms, after she has completed her university education.

The young activist is absolutely an inspiration in herself and one can perhaps think of her as yet another Malala in the making.