New Delhi: Actor-politician Khushbu Sundar revealed shocking details about the difficulties she encountered early in her career at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2024. She was part of a Masterclass on Women’s Safety in Cinema, where she spoke about an incident when a leading actor made advances toward her. She was accompanied on the panel by notable celebs like Imtiaz Ali, Bhumi Pednekar, Suhasini Maniratnam, and Vani Tripathi Tikoo.
Regarding the event, the actress was open about how angry she was at first. Khushbu Sundar shared, “A hero once asked me, ‘mujhe kahi cycle gap mei chance mil jayega kya?’ (will you give me a chance without anyone noticing?)” she said. “I immediately held up my chappal and said, ‘I wear a size 41. Do you want to be slapped here or in front of the unit?’”
She continued, “I didn’t think then that I was a newcomer, what would happen to my career? I just knew my respect was more important to me than anything. You need to respect yourself, only then will someone else respect you.”
Khushbu stressed the need to speak out against abuse and maintain one's dignity. She said, "Women face challenges not just in the film industry but everywhere... Speak up then and there; don't think about your career and troubles." She encouraged women to prioritize their respect and safety, saying, "You need to respect yourself, only then will someone else respect you."
About Khushbu Sundar
Khushbu Sundar made her acting debut as a child actor in the 1980 Hindi film ‘The Burning Train’. She rose to prominence in the Tamil cinema industry as an actress in blockbusters as like ‘Annaamalai’, ‘Anubhoothi’, ‘Annaatthe’ ‘Nattamai’ and more. Recently, Khushbu Sundar co-produced Sundar C.'s Tamil horror-comedy ‘Aranmanai 4’ starring Tamanna Bhatia and Raashii Khanna.