When Smita Patil spoke against women's nudity in films

Legendary late actress Smita Patil has left a lasting impact on Indian cinema. Known for playing strong characters, she starred in over 80 films in multiple languages, including Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, and Kannada. Some of her most celebrated films include 'Manthan,' 'Bhumika,' 'Aakrosh,' 'Chakra,' 'Shakti,' 'Arth,' and 'Waaris.'
Calling out Bollywood’s obsession with female nudity
Recently a clip of the late actress' old interview with Doordarshan surfaced on Reddit; in the clip, Smita openly criticized Bollywood’s habit of showing women in revealing clothes to sell films. She pointed out that women were often shown as either foolish, constantly suffering, or half-naked.
The 'Mandi' actress went on to say, “Hero ko toh nanga dikha nahi sakte; usse kuch hone nahi waala hai. Lekin aurat ko nanga dikhaye toh unko lagta hai 100 log aur aajayenge. Hindustan ki audience par yeh baat force ki gayi hai ki dekhiye ji, ismein sex hai; aadhe nange shareer hai toh aap film dekhne ke liye aaiye. Yeh ek aisi attitude bann gayi hai jo bhut galat hai. Film agar kuch sache dil se baat keh rahi hai toh voh chalegi. Sirf aisi posters se film chalti nahi hai.” (You can't show a hero naked—nothing is going to happen then. But if a woman is shown naked, they think it will attract 100 more viewers. The Indian audience has been conditioned to believe that if a film has sex and half-naked bodies, they must watch it. This has become an attitude that is completely wrong. If a film genuinely conveys something from the heart, it will work. Just having such posters doesn’t make a film successful.)

‘The audience is not stupid.’
The 'Bazaar' actress also pointed out the hypocrisy in the industry when it came to nudity. She observed that showing a male actor nude was unthinkable, whereas female nudity was seen as a marketing tool. She strongly opposed this approach and believed it was harming the image of women in films.

When asked if filmmakers thought audiences wanted to see women objectified on screen, she replied, “It can be true for some films. But I would also say that if some pornographic films are made, then those films will run only because of that. But if there is no storyline in the film, then the audience is not stupid; they like emotional films a lot. Our family structure is so strong. So if the audience is shown the wrong thing and made to depend on that, they will start liking those things. But filmmakers and actors have it in their hands to change things.”

Netizens agree with Smita’s words
Redditors were quick to praise Smita for her forward-thinking views. One person commented, “She is echoing my thoughts here. The audience isn’t stupid. Filmmakers can’t make garbage and then blame the audience for asking for it.” Another user wrote, “Audiences enjoy movies based on family and relationships. A huge takeaway for filmmakers today from this interview.” while one said, “She was so well-spoken and articulate.”
Check out the post here
Despite her short career, Smita won two National Film Awards and a Maharashtra State Film Award and was honored with the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award. Sadly, she passed away in 1986 at the young age of 31 due to childbirth complications.