During a recent event in Kolkata, actor Swastika Mukherjee shared some candid insights into the lives of women, arguing that many often fail to live authentically due to external influences. In an engaging dialogue, she delved into her own experiences to emphasize how women frequently compromise their own desires in order to prioritize the wishes and decisions of others.
According to Swastika, women tend to tell themselves that makingsmall changes in their behavior or attitude will improve situations or relationships. “We keep altering little parts of ourselves until we lose our true selves in the process. We become shells of who we once were, hollow and empty,” she said. Swastika recalled how she herself was a jovial person, always ready for spontaneous decisions, and rarely saying ‘no’ to anything. She noted that this attribute likely originated from her mother, who also rarely said ‘no.’
However, the actor went on to explain that even after agreeing to align with someone else’s plans, the moment you start hearing ‘no’ from the person you wanted to do things with, it’s disheartening. “My enthusiasm would dim because I felt that my life was not really mine to live. I was making choices based on someone else’s approval or disapproval,” she confessed.
Swastika, known for her versatility in a multitude of roles over her career, revealed that she has altered her approach nowadays. She declared, “Now, if I wish to do something, even if no one else wants to be a part of it, I go ahead and do it alone. When I reflect on my life, I realize that the moments I hesitated were moments when I lost the enthusiasm for things I initially wanted to do. Now, whether I still want to do those things or not is irrelevant; what matters is that I’m making the decision for myself.”
The actor stressed that, all too often, the happiness and choices of women are dictated by others—be it parents, children, partners, or mentors. This dependency saps women of their autonomy, rendering them unable to fully experience life on their own terms. “We give undue importance to other people’s wishes and end up neglecting our own,” she explained.
According to Swastika, women tend to tell themselves that makingsmall changes in their behavior or attitude will improve situations or relationships. “We keep altering little parts of ourselves until we lose our true selves in the process. We become shells of who we once were, hollow and empty,” she said. Swastika recalled how she herself was a jovial person, always ready for spontaneous decisions, and rarely saying ‘no’ to anything. She noted that this attribute likely originated from her mother, who also rarely said ‘no.’
However, the actor went on to explain that even after agreeing to align with someone else’s plans, the moment you start hearing ‘no’ from the person you wanted to do things with, it’s disheartening. “My enthusiasm would dim because I felt that my life was not really mine to live. I was making choices based on someone else’s approval or disapproval,” she confessed.
Swastika, known for her versatility in a multitude of roles over her career, revealed that she has altered her approach nowadays. She declared, “Now, if I wish to do something, even if no one else wants to be a part of it, I go ahead and do it alone. When I reflect on my life, I realize that the moments I hesitated were moments when I lost the enthusiasm for things I initially wanted to do. Now, whether I still want to do those things or not is irrelevant; what matters is that I’m making the decision for myself.”
The actor stressed that, all too often, the happiness and choices of women are dictated by others—be it parents, children, partners, or mentors. This dependency saps women of their autonomy, rendering them unable to fully experience life on their own terms. “We give undue importance to other people’s wishes and end up neglecting our own,” she explained.
Meanwhile, on the work front, Swastika is set to star in the upcoming Bengali thriller ‘
Durgapur Junction,’ and will also share screen space with Amitabh Bachchan in Ribhu Dasgupta’s courtroom drama ‘Section 84.’
Despite her professional accomplishments, the underlying message of her recent talk was a call to women to reclaim their lives and decisions, emphasizing that autonomy is essential for true fulfillment.
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