Actor Neena Gupta has never shied away from expressing her views on women, their choices and the expectations society places on them. During an interview with NDTV while promoting her upcoming series Chumbak, Neena spoke about the continuing policing of women’s clothing and why she believes society is unlikely to change completely anytime soon.
Her comments come amid the recent controversy surrounding a fashion advertisement featuring Kriti Sanon, which sparked a debate on social media over what women should and should not wear. The controversy saw netizens commenting on the actor’s outfit, while Kangana Ranaut also shared her opinion. The brand later removed the advertisement and issued a statement.
When Neena Gupta was asked whether she believes attitudes towards women’s clothing and choices have changed, the actor had a candid answer.
“I think it’s going to stay like this. It is not going to change. Not at all. Mark my words. Because the society is such. Even today, nothing has really changed. Whatever has changed, it has changed only by a few percentage points. What has changed is that women have started earning,” Neena said.
The actor pointed out that while women earning and becoming financially independent have brought some change, there is still a long way to go when it comes to how society views women’s choices.
Asked what can be done to bring about a change, Neena said the answer lies in how boys are raised.
“We can do only one thing. We can give our sons a good education. We can teach them to respect women. That is the only way. Maybe after one, two, three, four generations, perhaps something will change,” she said.
Neena then questioned the very idea of one person having the authority to tell another what they should wear.
“Who is going to tell whom?” she asked.
She went on to narrate an incident involving a friend to highlight how casually women are sometimes subjected to unsolicited opinions about their clothes.
“I have a friend, and this is a true incident. She went to a tailor and asked him to make a spaghetti-strap blouse with a neckline of about 10-11 inches. And the tailor told her, ‘You wear this? Don’t wear a blouse like that.’ The tailor was telling her what she should wear,” Neena recalled.
Actor Sandeepa Dhar, who was also part of the conversation, pointed out that the fact that a man could make such a comment to a woman reflected male privilege.
However, Neena believes the issue goes far beyond urban India and the conversations taking place in metropolitan cities.
“Are we talking about these percentages only in the context of cities?” she said. Neena pointed out that there are still parts of the country where traditional restrictions on women remain deeply entrenched.
“Where my father comes from, in Bazaar Sitaram, women still have to cover their faces with a veil. Everything is still like that,” Neena said.
For Neena, therefore, the conversation around women’s clothing cannot be separated from the larger question of respect and equality. While she acknowledges that some change has happened, she believes meaningful progress will depend on how the next generation of men is brought up.
Neena Gupta will next be seen in Chumbak, a family comedy directed by Aatish Kapadia. The series also stars Deven Bhojani, Manasi Parekh, Sumeet Vyas, Sumeet Raghavan, Sandeepa Dhar, Anant Joshi, Amyra Dastur, Arjun Bijlani and Helly Shah. Chumbak will premiere on Netflix on September 10, 2026.
ALSO READ: Chumbak Trailer: Neena Gupta And Deven Bhojani’s Chaotic Marriage Promises Plenty Of Laughs
