‘A Real Man Takes No For An Answer’
Angered by men who ‘act like jerks’, filmmaker and actor Farhan Akhtar talks toShone Satheesh Babu about his campaign to teach us all some respect.
“MARD is an attempt to ask men to rethink what their notions of being a man is. Our idea of ‘manliness’ is informed by various things: family, teachers, peers, pop culture, films, music, careers, expectations, etc. We’re trying to establish alternatives to what we are conditioned to believe is ‘manly’. To show that sensitivity is manly. That it is more courageous to show restraint, than to be an aggressor. That it is courageous to be able to take ‘no’ for an answer.”
“No, by honour I mean a fundamental regard and respect for fellow human beings. It is something that you earn, and cannot be obtained by force. It’s the honour you earn by respecting the rights of the other person.”
Campaign MEN AND DISCRIMINATION AGAINST RAPE (MARD) an initiative of Farhan Akhtar.
