Don't know how to be politically correct: Mira on her controversial housewife remarks
Mumbai: When Mira Rajput expressed her views at a Women's Day event, it invited a lot of criticism from every corner of India. At the event, Mira had said that she is a proud housewife because she didn’t have Misha (her daughter with Shahid Kapoor) to keep her at home.
"I wouldn't want to spend one hour a day with my child and rush off to work. Why did I have her (daughter Misha)? She is not a puppy, you know. I want to be there for her as a mother," she had said. This comment irked many, who slammed Mira for subtly taking a dig at working women.
Now, at a recent interview, Mira cleared the air about the controversy. “I was just speaking my mind, my intention was not to offend or hurt anyone. Could I have chosen my words better? Maybe. But I am not a seasoned actor and I don’t know how to be politically correct. I was speaking for a section of women who aren’t given their due. For that matter, I don’t think financial independence is the only yardstick to measure feminism. Women who stay at home and take care of the children or work from home deserve to be celebrated as much. They are also feminists in their own right because they have chosen their lives… even if they have not, they are giving it their all. My mom balanced her career and motherhood. There was never a time when I felt that she was not around. That’s the essence of what I was trying to say . I don’t want to cross the fine line between independence and negligence. The Bill on six month paid maternity leave was passed recently and it’s to enable a woman to spend time with her baby . It’s not just for physical recovery; had that been the case, adoptive mothers wouldn’t have been eligible for it. It’s to nurture the bonding between a mother and her child. That’s all that I meant,” she told Bombay Times.
Earlier, her husband Shahid came forward and took a stand for her by saying that Mira was talking on a personal level and that her statement wasn't a "direct comment on anybody or any category of women." "I think we are in a time where everybody is getting hurt about everything. So, I honestly don't feel there is any sense in trying to keep everyone happy," he had said.
