Twinkle Khanna: Indian women’s aspirations have changed

Twinkle Khanna: Indian women’s aspirations have changed

‘When it comes to women's lives, things have progressed, maybe not always in a linear way.’

Devina Gupta speaks to author and columnist Twinkle Khanna about the lives of women in 21st century India. Khanna’s column in the Times of India, Mrs Funnybones, captures the contradictions of being a modern Indian woman — one day praying to a cow, the next filing a tax return. It was turned into a book in 2015 that sold over 100,000 copies in its first year alone.

Born into a family of Bollywood royalty, Khanna initially followed her parents Dimple Kapadia and Rajesh Khanna into acting. However, despite appearing in dozens of films and receiving accolades for her performances, she considers herself to have been a ‘failed actress’.

After a short stint as an interior designer, she turned her hand to writing, and soon realised how much she could make people laugh.

As a prominent writer, however, Khanna has faced significant backlash - including for comments challenging both traditional roles within marriage and religious customs that label women impure during menstruation. Her outspoken views on gender norms and marital expectations have led to heated debate on social media, and made her the subject of widespread trolling.

So with the follow-up Mrs Funnybones book coming out over a decade later, she’s now asking the much larger question: what, if anything, has changed for Indian women in that time. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presenter: Devina Gupta Producers: Ben Cooper, Clare Williamson and Aakriti Thapar Editor: Justine Lang

Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.

(Image: Twinkle Khanna: Credit: SUJIT JAISWAL/AFP via Getty Images)

Episoder(1845)

Ami Ayalon: Is Israel fighting an unwinnable war?

Ami Ayalon: Is Israel fighting an unwinnable war?

Stephen Sackur speaks to Ami Ayalon, former director of the Israeli Security Agency, also known as Shin Bet, and now a fierce critic of Prime Minister Netanyahu's government. Is today's Israel ready to listen to the lessons of one of its ageing warriors?

1 Mai 202422min

Amin Salam: Can Lebanon's government avert catastrophe?

Amin Salam: Can Lebanon's government avert catastrophe?

Stephen Sackur speaks to Lebanon’s economy minister, Amin Salam. After years of economic meltdown, Lebanon is once again threatened by escalating regional conflict involving Israel and Iran. Does the Beirut government have the will or the means to prevent a further slide into chaos?

29 Apr 202422min

Joan Donoghue: Has the ICJ ruling changed anything in Gaza?

Joan Donoghue: Has the ICJ ruling changed anything in Gaza?

In an exclusive interview, Stephen Sackur speaks to Joan Donoghue, who has just retired as president of the International Court of Justice. In January, the court found there was a plausible case for Israel to answer for alleged violation of the Genocide Convention. Has the ruling changed anything in Gaza?

26 Apr 202422min

Daniel Dennett: Philosophy and atheism

Daniel Dennett: Philosophy and atheism

Another chance to listen to Stephen Sackur’s 2013 interview with American philosopher Daniel Dennett, who has died aged 82. Described as one of the Four Horsemen of New Atheism, Dennett wrote powerfully against religion. But do humans really want to live in a world where atheism rules and religion is dead?

24 Apr 202422min

Richard Haass: How should the US respond to global risks?

Richard Haass: How should the US respond to global risks?

Stephen Sackur speaks to veteran US diplomat Richard Haass. Levels of geopolitical risk are sky-high; from the direct hostilities between Israel and Iran, to the continued conflict and suffering in Gaza, to the ramping up of Russia’s assault on Ukraine. How should America respond?

20 Apr 202422min

Arseniy Yatsenyuk: Could Ukraine lose?

Arseniy Yatsenyuk: Could Ukraine lose?

If the West doesn't step up assistance for Ukraine, will the war be lost? Stephen Sackur speaks to former Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk.

19 Apr 202422min

Danny Danon: Will Israel listen to its allies?

Danny Danon: Will Israel listen to its allies?

Stephen Sackur speaks to Danny Danon, Israeli MP and former ambassador at the United Nations. Israel and Iran are on the brink of a war which could ignite the entire Middle East. Having neutralised an Iranian missile barrage, will the Israeli government listen to its allies and step back, or seek a new level of retribution and deterrence?

16 Apr 202422min

Eddie Marsan: Do the arts neglect working-class people?

Eddie Marsan: Do the arts neglect working-class people?

Stephen Sackur speaks to the actor Eddie Marsan, whose ability to play troubled, sometimes violent characters has made him a staple on stage and screen. He’s a relative rarity, an actor with genuine working class roots. Is there a diversity problem in the performing arts when it comes to class?

15 Apr 202423min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
forklart
aftenpodden-usa
popradet
stopp-verden
nokon-ma-ga
fotballpodden-2
det-store-bildet
dine-penger-pengeradet
frokostshowet-pa-p5
rss-ness
rss-gukild-johaug
rss-dannet-uten-piano
aftenbla-bla
e24-podden
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
unitedno
rss-gilbrantsuvatne
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten