Veteran Bollywood actress Neena Gupta recently opened up about women’s perception of sex in India and also said that sex is the most overrated word. In one of her latest interviews, the Badhaai Ho actress expressed her concern that most Indian women view sex as a duty rather than an act of pleasure and addressed the deep-rooted stigma around female sexuality in India.
During a conversation with YouTuber and comedian Lilly Singh, Neena said, “I feel very sad for women and sex. I’m talking about India, about 99 or maybe 95 per cent of Indian women don’t know that sex is for enjoyment. They think it is to please the man and have babies.”
The actress said that only a small section of women recognise sexual pleasure as their right, whereas the majority still see it through the lens of societal expectations.
When the host praised her for openly using the word ‘sex’ without hesitation, Neena admitted that she used to whisper it at home but no longer does. “I feel it’s a very overrated thing. I feel sex is the most overrated word,” she remarked.
During the candid chat, she also opened up about how films shaped up her idea of sex and sexual desire.
“What did they show in our movies? If you are a woman, your basic motto was to find a man. In fact, for the longest time, I thought we could get pregnant if we kissed. I literally thought it was true. That was what our movies showed us,” the 65-year-old actress said.
When asked what takeaways she thinks the men had from movies, Neena said, “They learned that they are the boss. Even till today, this is the major takeaway from most films.”
Meanwhile, on the work front, Neena was last seen in the film Aachari Baa in which she plays the role of Gujarati grandmother, Jaishnaviben Anopchand Vagadia, who reconnects with her family through her cherished pickle-making tradition.
