Abhishek Bachchan Hits Back At Trolls: Why Should Women Seek Permission To Do Anything?

Actor Abhishek Bachchan’s reply to a Twitter user is winning hearts on the internet. Recently, Abhishek Bachchan tweeted his review of Ponniyin Selvan II, and a Twitter user commented that Abhishek Bachchan should let Aishwarya Rai sign more movies and take care of their daughter, Aaradhya Bachchan. Abhishek Bachchan replied that Aishwarya Rai certainly doesn’t need his permission to do anything.

"Let her sign? Sir, she certainly doesn’t need my permission to do anything, especially something she loves," read Abhishek Bachchan’s reply, which is being appreciated by netizens. Why does society presume that women "need" their husband’s permission to pursue a career? And why is this comment surfacing now that PS 2 has become a huge hit and Aishwarya Rai’s performance is acclaimed? Why do women have to "prove" their calibre to be "allowed" to pursue a career while it’s not the same for men?

Abhishek Bachchan On PS2 Success

While it’s the norm for men to get into the workforce right after graduation, it isn’t the same for women. Right after graduation, a typical Indian girl’s parents are more interested in looking for an alliance than respecting her choice to pursue a career. Women too put a lot of hard work into their education, and why does it not matter to society? Why are women continuing to be perceived as caregivers rather than individuals who should be able to exercise their agency over their lives?

A woman could "choose" to get married, embrace motherhood, and be a full-time homemaker right after graduation, or she could "choose" to develop an established career and become financially independent before getting married. It’s completely a woman’s right to exercise her agency over her life. Regardless of what her choice is, her parents, spouse, and in-laws are supposed to respect and support her.

Unfortunately, we live in a society where women "need permission" from others to do what they want. Women have to prove their calibre to gain that "permission." Convincing her parents to pursue her career might be relatively easier for a girl who managed to secure a job through an on-campus interview because she has "proven" her capacity.

However, a girl who didn’t secure a job on campus, wants to explore her passion for travelling or photography, for example, or wants to become an entrepreneur, might not be "allowed" because she hasn’t academically proven her capacity. She hasn’t met the invisible parameters set by society. How is this fair, though? Can’t a woman want to explore and discover what she wants to do with her life? Why should she be put in a box taped with social norms just because she’s a woman? So, what if she doesn't have an exceptional academic or work record in the past? She might want to start over, try something else, or explore her passion. Why doesn't she need anyone's permission for that? Why is it someone's permission to give in the first place?

Credits: Abhishek Bachchan's Twitter

In Aishwarya Rai’s case, now that PS II is doing incredibly well and she is being praised for her role as Nandhini, people want Abhishek Bachchan to "allow" her to do more films. Last month netizens were busy trolling her and now they want to see her more on screen. So, if she hadn’t been a part of PS 2 and continued to prove her calibre as an actor, this whole discussion wouldn’t be happening, would it?

At the end of the day, be it Aishwarya Rai or any other woman, it’s her choice to pursue a career, take a career break, and make a comeback at her own pace. In a society where patriarchy makes it almost impossible for women to exercise even their basic rights because they have to be "permitted" by someone to do what they want, Abhishek Bachchan’s reply is noteworthy. I’m not per se appreciating Abhishek Bachchan for his comment but rather using it to emphasise that is how spouses should be.

Some women feel "empowered" because their parents, spouses, or in-laws "allow" them to study further, pursue a career, wear what they wish, do what they like, Women have been internalised with the mindset that they need to "seek" permission from others to do what they want and feel "fortunate" if they are granted it. It’s high time women understood that nobody needs to "permit" them to do anything. Who is anyone to give women "permission" to do what they wish to do with their lives?

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