Ratna Pathak Shah triggers row with 'Karwa Chauth' remarks, asks if India wants to be like Saudi Arabia

Ratna Pathak Shah created a storm on the internet after she spoke about the modern and educated Indian woman following 'age-old traditions like Karwa Chauth'. The veteran actress in her recent interview with Pinkvilla said that India is moving towards becoming an 'extremely conservative society'. She questioned why Indian society clamps down and restricts its women.

Talking about the same, Ratna Pathak Shah said, "Nothing has changed for women, or very little has changed in very crucial areas...Our society is becoming extremely conservative. We're becoming superstitious, we're being forced into accepting and making religion a very important part of one's life. Someone asked me for the first time last year if I'm keeping 'karwa chauth ka vrat (observing karwa chauth)'. I said, 'Am I mad?' Isn't it appalling that modern educated women do karwa chauth, praying for the lives of husbands so that they can have some validity in life? Widow in the Indian context is a horrible situation, isn't it? So anything that keeps me away from widowhood. Really? In the 21st century, we are talking like this? Educated women are doing this."

"We are moving towards an extremely conservative society. The first thing a conservative society does is clamp down on its women. Look at all the conservative societies in this world. Women are the ones who are most affected. What's the scope of women in Saudi Arabia? Do we want to become like Saudi Arabia? And we will become because it's very very convenient. Women provide a lot of unpaid labour within the home. If you have to pay for that labour, who will do it? Women are forced into that situation," she added.

For the unversed, Ratna Pathak Shah is married to veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah and they have two sons Imaad Shah and Vivaan Shah. The duo has been married for over 40 years.

As soon as the remarks surfaced on the internet, netizens were quick to troll the actress. A user said, "When a Hindu festival is celebrated in the open, they send Abdul and Shahrukh with stones. When a Hindu festival is celebrated inside, they send #RatnaPathakShah."

Another commented, "#RatnaPathakShah is Muslim. Her husband is Muslim. Her sons Imaad and Vivaan are Muslim. In her religion women don't have equal property rights, men can have 4 wives women can't, underage girls are legally married. Therefore she thinks #KarwaChauth makes India Saudi Arabia."

Check out the reactions here-