Exclusive/ Republic India Women's Summit: Malini Awasthi Says Women In Showbiz Still Remain Highly Judged

Born in Uttar Pradesh’s Kannauj which is known as the ‘City of Itr’, folk singer Malini Awasthi went on to spread the fragrance of her music all over the country. During the ongoing India Women’s Summit of Republic Media Network, Awasthi joined us in an exclusive conversation where she talked about how women across industries are bringing change and are getting recognition which was truly theirs.

Malini Awasthi talks about ‘Har Ghar Hunar’

The Padma Shri awardee was asked what she would like to tell the women watching her from all big or small cities of India and who are talented enough to make it big. She was quick to address that the popular terms like small cities, big cities and globalisation are a part of Gen-Z language and are not the label which was always there.

She continued, “We have been told from the beginning that we are Brahma, you are the only one who is Shaktimaan, you are Brahma. And I think the one who has not lived in small towns, how will he understand India? How will he know? He can't know. The one who has not seen India's fields, the one who has not seen the streets, the one who has not seen the struggle.”

Malini said that it’s an unfortunate narrative that the metrics of success are always written in big cities but the reality is different. She said, “No matter small or big city, I think the success of every woman is written by themselves wherever they are.”

The Sunder Susheel singer backed her thoughts with her upbringing and said she wouldn’t have reached such global milestones, had she not been brought up in a small city.

Why did Malini Awasthi never settle in Mumbai despite the enormous success?

During her conversation with Republic, Malini looked back at the time when she did a reality show in Mumbai and shot to overnight fame. She revealed, “I got a lot of popularity, people started calling me, I started recording songs for movies. So everyone suggested that I should take a house here and settle down. I said, 'I will definitely take a house for ease of work but I can't think of settling down.'"

Malini shared that she did buy a house in 2011 and it's still there and many people don't even know that it is there. "I feel that I feel alive here, being close to my soil. This is maybe to tell stories every day, to sing a song every day, to find that picture of India in that song every day. I will have to stay here.”

Republic asked Malini about the importance of sisterhood amid the chants of brotherhood

“I will say one thing very clearly. It was never easy for women to reach wherever they have reached. Salute and greetings to each and every woman who has made a mark for herself. Because sitting here in front of me, every woman, if you speak to them, they have a story to share, a struggle and unfortunately, only very successful people get to share their stories. For a lot of women, it remains untold.”

Malini further led the conversation and addressed the apprehensions women face post-marriage. She said, "A woman herself, in her own eyes, values herself so much that - I will be the best wife, I will be the best mom that she puts a bandage on her feet. I feel like that. In my case as well I felt that my responsibility is now to those roles which God has blessed me with. So I have to deal with that first rest everything will be seen.”

Malini continued, “No one brings opportunities by keeping them on the table. One has to find, steal, and ask for opportunities. I asked for it.”

When people stopped giving work to Malini because they thought she was unapproachable

Malini recalled that after marriage, her music career blurred. It was one day her sister found her personality entirely changed, so she asked Malini to play a song. The latter who hadn’t sung for four-five years, with all her courage picked up her tanpura and broke down in tears while playing it.

It was then that Malini’s sister informed her parents about the situation and they immediately went to Akashwani and Doordarshan and enquired about an opportunity. They said that they thought Malini got married to an IAS officer so why would she sing? Malini added, “Now, what is the need of her programs? What will they do by singing? These two lines. Like we were singing for someone like we were living for someone else."

Malini, then herself reached out to station directors and humbly asked for work.

“One thing I feel is that nowadays people feel that how can we go beyond our self-respect to ask for something? I feel that no one makes a path for you. You have to cut, brush and scrape down trees to make a path for yourself.”

Malini says that many times the efforts of women are overshadowed by the fact that her family allowed her to do something. She said, “It's a very strange psychology that when a woman starts doing good things or is working or touching her sky, the woman's ability is not so much but it is considered that her family was very good that's why she could leave, her mother-in-law was very good, her husband was very good. So there is nothing good about us. Why is it always like that people around her are so good?”

People are unable to digest a woman’s success: Malini Awasthi

Malini strongly continued, “I have realised people are unable to digest a woman’s success. Whenever a woman achieves something, people want to trace her background, who was behind her? They’ll just try to find some reason. It becomes uncomfortable for people to accept a woman’s success.”

Malini further acknowledged that things are changing now. “When I am talking to you I am talking about a long mindset of a 40 year journey.”

The entertainment field is still such a field where the respect and dignity of women still depend on how people see them: Malini Awasthi

Malini told us, “It doesn't matter if a woman is a teacher, she is in a bureaucracy, she is doing MBA, everything is fine. But when she is an artist, she is on stage, she is exposed to lakhs and thousands of people. They can clap, they can judge you and they can pass comments on you because ultimately when you are on stage, you are a product. You are an expresser on stage. So when you are expressing yourself and there are men and women who judge you.”

Looking back in time, Malini expressed further in our conversation, “Women in the past, I think our grandmothers were far more empowered, much stronger. They were so vocal about what they felt. Today we keep them in our hearts.”

Malini reveals reality show Junoon was a career point in her career

When I was offered this reality show, this was the time when I was learning from Guru Girja Devi. I had already won many awards and was already a top-grade radio artist. I had become famous. After the initial refusal, I decided for the first time that my look would have to change. The way I perform will have to change.

“I decided to go on stage in lehenga, dupatta, and solah shringar. And I will do whatever the folk song says. That was a turning point for me because I knew that people will judge me for it because I will be dancing on stage. Dancing is either a traditional dance style or dancing which is still in people's minds.”

She concluded, “It was a very challenging moment because you have to be open to be scrutinised and to be subjected to scrutiny…. I mean, how far can you go about it? You can sing, but how far? There has to be madness to the conviction, to the core.”

Republic India Women’s Summit presented by Adani, Knowledge Partner- Reva University, Insurance Partner- SBI General, Celebration Partner- Radico, State Partner- Uttar Pradesh Government.