Mumbai: The actress says she is not religious but has a deep connection with spirituality and the more she reads about it, the more she is baffled by the treatment of women in society.
"I live in this country, I care deeply about the culture. I am not religious but I am spiritual, so I read a lot about it… how Durga, Sita are important, how each goddess had a role to play in evolution. And then when I see how people treat women, it is really confusing to me. Religion has become hypocrisy," Richa told PTI in an interview.
The actress hits strongly at people who treat the festival of Ganesh visarjan as an excuse to get drunk and party, with no regards to the culture, something, she says, must be questioned.
Richa says the gender-based discrimination, where men are considered superior to women, is an issue which is integral not only to Indian but all over the world.
"There is the issue of rape in some places, in some countries women can't study too much".
Asked if gender-based biases exist even in Bollywood, the actress said, "Of course they do. Because Bollywood reflects society... we are not a special entity. So whatever prejudices society has for us, we carry into the films. That's the problem."
Richa, however, says she has never faced any discrimination from men, as she is a "different kind of woman" who doesn't let "people look down upon" her.
The actress feels if there should be a change, one should believe that both men and women are equal. "Feminism basically says both men and women are equal. It doesn't say women are better or men are stupid. So, we have to believe that if we want there to be a change."
