Rupali Ganguly Calls Male Abuse a ‘Very Important Issue’ on Anupamaa

Television actor Rupali Ganguly has praised the makers of Anupamaa for addressing the issue of abuse faced by men in an upcoming episode.

The new track by producer Rajan Shahi, Deepa Shahi and their team will show Anupamaa taking a stand against Moti Baa's niece Kirti for abusing and harassing her husband Kapil.

Speaking about the storyline, Rupali said, "I stand for women empowerment, I believe in women empowerment, and I understand that in 90% of domestic abuse cases it's women who suffer, but there are also men who go through it. I have seen it in close quarters. It's happened in the family where women have falsely accused men. And we believe that since he is a man, he is the one at fault. But it's not the case always. There are few women who may not necessarily raise a hand to their husbands, but they torture them mentally. There are men who are unable to bear it but have the upbringing and decency that they will not raise their hand against women. I agree that men should respect women and not disrespect them, but if that man gets the wrong woman, she takes it for his weakness."

She added, "In our society we hear stories of women being tortured and domestic abuse. There are dowry cases; there were a lot of cases that have happened in our country, but also let us not forget, there are those cases where a woman, because of a lover, has killed her husband of so many years and stuffed him in a drum. Or a woman who's gotten married with a lot of fanfare - the videos are all over the internet - and her husband has been killed by the ex-boyfriend when they've gone on their honeymoon,"

Rupali further said, "Those men are also someone's kids; they were also raised with a lot of love and hopes and were married with a lot of expectations. Women today are no less as far as mental torture or mental harassment is concerned,"

Highlighting the track, she said, "Like I said, I've seen it in close quarters in my family, and there are a lot of men on the set while shooting it who identified and who empathized with it. So there are a lot of men who are going through it, and they keep quiet because of societal pressures."

She concluded, "Men feel they will become a joke if they speak up about the abuse by their wives. I seriously salute the writers and the makers of Anupamaa for bringing such an important topic and such a touchy topic up, especially because our show is about women's empowerment and a woman's journey, and to take a stand in it for a man was seriously a very proud moment for me,"

The episode is expected to focus on domestic abuse against men and the social stigma attached to speaking about it.