Rhea Kapoor Reacts To ‘Sex Isn’t Empowerment’ Take On TYFC: 'You Can’t Tell Me…’ | Exclusive

Thank You For Coming hit the theatres this Friday (October 6) and opened to extreme reactions from the critics. While it may not have clocked big numbers like Veere Di Wedding (its day one figures being Rs 10.70 crore), on its first day, the Bhumi Pednekar-starrer grossed a total of Rs 1.06 crore at the Indian box office. While some are praising the film for its sex-positive messaging and freshness, others have been calling it out for its lopsided portrayal of feminism and women empowerment.

In an exclusive chat with News18, producer Rhea Kapoor addressed these comments and reiterated that sexual liberation is ‘absolutely not’ the only form of empowerment. Reacting to how women’s pleasure is an important theme that needed to be dealt with, she told us, “I think sex is one of the things that’s used to shame and control women all the time. It’s an important part of our lives as it is to men. Women are told to not wear certain clothes and not sit and talk in a certain way because it apparently gives guys a wrong idea.”

The filmmaker, who is currently busy working on The Crew, further reasoned, “Sex is used to control our minds. We have the same desires [as men] but somehow shamed for it. I feel it’s absolutely wrong. It’s one of the ways to set yourself free.”

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Not the one to mince her words, Rhea emphasised that she would keep making films that resonate with her. “You can’t tell me what my conflict and insecurity is. It has been put on me by the society I live in. People can’t define for us what empowerment is. We should be able to talk about everything and do what we feel is right, as we please and what comes to us naturally and follow our heart,” she said.

Thank You For Coming is also being talked about for its women who are constantly seen drinking and smoking throughout the course of the film. While agreeing that none of it is a sign of progressive feminism, Rhea said, “I personally agree with the fact that cigarette smoking isn’t the best thing for health. But that doesn’t mean that I try to go ahead and say that no character in my films will smoke. That’s a very thin line. We need to tell stories that make us feel something and we can all relate to.”

Implying how films don’t bear the responsibility of dishing out lessons on morality, Rhea added, “I feel like what’s right and wrong when it comes to storytelling is like crossing a very thin line. We can all agree that violence isn’t good for the society in any way. But that doesn’t mean we stop making action movies. I might say that showing characters consuming alcohol in a film is maybe not in agreement with ten people’s moral compass.”