Khushbu Sundar recounts harrowing incident as a newcomer: ‘A hero asked me, chance mil jayega kya?’

Actor-politician Khushbu Sundar was part of a masterclass on Women’s Safety in Cinema at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2024, which is being held in Goa. While talking about the challenges women face, she gave an example of when she was propositioned on set, in a clip posted by Gulte. Khushbu was joined on the panel by Imtiaz Ali, Bhumi Pednekar, Suhasini Maniratnam, and Vani Tripathi Tikoo. (Also Read: Khushbu Sundar opens up on abuse by father: ‘Should’ve spoken earlier…’)

‘Speak up when someone is mistreating you’

When asked about the challenges faced by women in the film industry, Khushbu replied, “Women face challenges not just in the film industry but everywhere. You face them while travelling in a share auto, local train, or even on a flight. It’s everywhere, not just in the film industry. But I would like to ask women to speak up whenever they feel someone’s mistreating them. Speak up then and there; don’t think about your career and troubles.”

She also recounted an instance when a lead actor propositioned her when she was a newcomer, “A hero once asked me, mujhe kahi cycle gap mei chance mil jayega kya? (will you give me a chance without anyone noticing?) 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? 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.”

Recent work

Khusbu has acted in numerous Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi films since she began her career as a child artiste in 1980 and a lead actor in 1985. She last co-produced her husband Sundar C’s film Aranmanai 4 and played a cameo in the song Amman.