Arjun Kapoor Questions Rakhi Celebrations Amid Kolkata Tragedy: Calls for Safer Environment for Women- WATCH

In the wake of the tragic rape-murder of an RG Kar Medical College doctor, Arjun Kapoor has shared a poignant message this Raksha Bandhan. The actor took to social media to express his discomfort with celebrating the festival in light of the recent national outrage and ongoing protests.

In his video message, Arjun Kapoor said, “So I’m about to go and celebrate Raksha Bandhan with my sisters. It feels really strange to celebrate a festival with what’s happening, which has to do with protecting each other, protecting your sisters, being there for the women in your life, for the women that you love and care for, while we see so much anguish and the lack of understanding and education amongst a lot of men.” He reflected on the irony of celebrating a festival that symbolizes protection while the safety of women remains a pressing issue.

He continued, “When we celebrate Rakhi, we speak about being a brother. Why aren’t we taught how to make the environment safe enough for all our sisters to roam around without needing a brother? All the time to protect and take care physically to be around. Yes, I know the visual is something we got used to — that the brother is protective or the man is protective — but I think somewhere we need to teach other men that they need to make women feel safe rather than teach men to protect women.”

Arjun further expanded on what he believes is a critical societal issue. “It’s a much bigger conversation. I think there’s a lot of education. There’s a lot of conversation, and there’s a lot of basic understanding that is lacking in our ecosystem. I don’t know how much this will change how people think, but it’s definitely something that’s been on my mind. Why have you always told to protect? Why aren’t we told to make them feel safe? It’s something I’ve been thinking about. It’s been going on in my mind for a long time. Yeah, sometimes you feel it’s not overly discussing because people don’t get it, but I just thought I put it in the universe,” he concluded.