- Divya Unny responded to viral reels showing her poster being spat on by men in public
- Only her poster was targeted despite many male politicians' posters on the same wall
- She views the act as a symbol of wider harassment and violence against women in society
Actor Divya Unny reacted to viral reels showing a poster in which she appears to be spat at. Several social media users sent the reel to her, asking her to take a stern step.
The actress also noted that the wall where her poster was pasted had several other posters featuring male politicians, yet only her poster was targeted for spitting.
Sharing an Instagram video, Divya said she doesn't see it as a personal humiliation. Instead, she perceives it as part of a larger narrative of women being attacked, harassed, and violated by men in society.
"Over there, it is not me, Divya Unny, on that poster; it is just a woman's face that could be any woman. I can't take it personally — ki Divya Unny ke face pe thooka (spat on Divya's face). I'm not going to do that because it would be a thoughtless reaction. Yes, did I feel a little upset or disturbed about it? Absolutely I felt disturbed. But if you compare this to what women in this country go through, from little girls to women in their 60s and 70s, this doesn't even come close. It's not even worth my fingernail compared to the violence and mistreatment they face. It's just a group of men spitting," Divya said in the video.
Pointing to the patriarchal mindset that deprives women of their humanity, Divya said, "Yeh bilkul sharmnaak baat hai, lekin kya yeh naya news hai? (This is utterly shameful, but is it news?) In India's population, the majority of men don't respect women. They can't think about women's point of view. They don't even think of women as human beings. Jo aurton ke saath ho raha hai is desh mein, jis tarah se unki zillat ki jaa rahi hai, unhe maara jaa raha hai, dabaya jaa raha hai, uske khilaaf main ladne ki koshish karungi, uske upar filmein banane ki koshish karungi taaki unka mindset change ho (What is happening to women in this country — the way they are being humiliated, assaulted, and oppressed — I want to fight against that. I want to make films on these issues so that people's mindsets can change)."
"Kyunki yeh mindset problem hai, upbringing problem hai, generational issue hai," she continued. "Jahan tak humare desh ke men don't realise how their thinking is wrong, our little boys are not brought up properly, this issue is not going to get resolved. Jo mere poster ke saath hua, that is not a big deal, but as a woman, I have never felt so unsafe ever, and I am going to try and change that in my own way. (Because this is a mindset problem, an upbringing problem, a generational issue. Until the men in our country realise that their way of thinking is wrong, and until we raise our boys differently, this issue is not going to be resolved. What happened to my poster is not a big deal, but as a woman, I have never felt this unsafe before, and I am going to try to change that in my own way.)" Divya concluded.
About Divya Unny
Divya is an actor, writer, and director. She made her Bollywood debut opposite Manoj Bajpayee in Traffic. She then became the face of hundreds of advertisements. Divya started writing and directing in 2017, and her first short film, Her First Time, garnered over 4 million views on YouTube.