She was a graduate of the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune and was a newsreader on Doordarshan before she became a well-known actor. Though her interest in acting was evident even as a kid because she used to participate in theatre during school. As a feminist, Smita Patil chose films and projects that were rather female-oriented, in fact, the actor was also part of the Women’s Centre in Mumbai. 

And recently, an interview of hers surfaced online where she’s seen talking about the objectification of women in Indian films. In it, the actor is asked about a specific poster for the film Chakra where she is seen taking a shower, out in the open. She’s asked how she felt about letting so much of her body be visible on screen. 

Patil got super real with the journalist and told her that it is a fact that sex is used to sell films and basically everything else in the world. And that a film automatically gains more viewers when a woman’s body is used to promote it. Here is the clip where she talks about this. 

In another part of the interview, the actor talked about how women are portrayed as the weaker gender in our films and how that impacts society. 

Here are some of the reactions to this interview.

Clearly, Smita Patil was ahead of her time, she’s spoken about things that are a reality even today. You can watch more of her here. 

If being articulate was a person, she’d be it!