Women are meant to nurture: Kangana backs Anandiben Patel's 'learn to cook' remark
Kangana Ranaut backed Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel's remarks urging women to learn to cook for their families. Her endorsement drew criticism online and widened the debate over gender roles.
Actor and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut has sparked a debate after backing Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel’s remarks urging women to learn to cook for their families, regardless of their profession. Patel’s speech at an event in Kanpur recently went viral on social media, and Ranaut responded to a post carrying the video on X on Sunday in support of the governor’s comments.
The exchange drew criticism from a section of social media users, several of whom said Ranaut’s remarks reinforced traditional gender stereotypes. The controversy has come at a time when Ranaut, who has often spoken about women’s empowerment and headlined films such as Queen, is preparing for the release of Queen 2, directed by Vikas Bahl. The sequel wrapped filming last month.
In her speech, Patel said, "Women today should learn how to cook for their families, whether you become a teacher or an IAS officer. You should first become an expert mother.” She added, “What is a mother’s duty? To train her daughter in every way. She should not face any difficulties at her in-laws’. And if she does, she should deal with them on her own merit. We need to give that strength to her daughters."
Backing those remarks, Ranaut said nurturing comes naturally to women. Recalling her childhood, she wrote, “When we were small, my brother played football and cricket, but I carefully built doll houses, stitched their clothes, and cooked their food, much to everyone’s amusement in the house. I made small chulhas (stoves) and pretended to be doll mom.”
She added, “It is not something that we need to learn. God has bestowed upon us the duty of nurturing humanity, it is our true nature, that’s why women are called Devi, Shakti, Annapurna, Mata, and many more such forms, but beyond all that, it is such a joy to love, to feed, to dance and to nurture.”
In the same speech, Patel also referred to recent incidents of women allegedly killing their prospective husbands to avoid marriages arranged by their families, calling such cases “unfathomable”. Ranaut’s endorsement then triggered criticism online.
One X user wrote, “Cooking is a patriarchy that was thrown around for a million years and it’s embarrassing to see @KanganaTeam glorifying it (sic).” Another commented, “Cooking’s a survival skill, everyone, no matter their gender, should know how to whip up good food (sic).” A third user wrote, “You make it very difficult to support you, Kangana (facepalm emoji).”
The episode has placed Patel’s viral remarks and Ranaut’s response at the centre of a wider online argument over gender roles, with the actor’s support for the governor’s comments prompting both endorsement and criticism.
Actor and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut has sparked a debate after backing Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel’s remarks urging women to learn to cook for their families, regardless of their profession. Patel’s speech at an event in Kanpur recently went viral on social media, and Ranaut responded to a post carrying the video on X on Sunday in support of the governor’s comments.
The exchange drew criticism from a section of social media users, several of whom said Ranaut’s remarks reinforced traditional gender stereotypes. The controversy has come at a time when Ranaut, who has often spoken about women’s empowerment and headlined films such as Queen, is preparing for the release of Queen 2, directed by Vikas Bahl. The sequel wrapped filming last month.
In her speech, Patel said, "Women today should learn how to cook for their families, whether you become a teacher or an IAS officer. You should first become an expert mother.” She added, “What is a mother’s duty? To train her daughter in every way. She should not face any difficulties at her in-laws’. And if she does, she should deal with them on her own merit. We need to give that strength to her daughters."
Backing those remarks, Ranaut said nurturing comes naturally to women. Recalling her childhood, she wrote, “When we were small, my brother played football and cricket, but I carefully built doll houses, stitched their clothes, and cooked their food, much to everyone’s amusement in the house. I made small chulhas (stoves) and pretended to be doll mom.”
She added, “It is not something that we need to learn. God has bestowed upon us the duty of nurturing humanity, it is our true nature, that’s why women are called Devi, Shakti, Annapurna, Mata, and many more such forms, but beyond all that, it is such a joy to love, to feed, to dance and to nurture.”
In the same speech, Patel also referred to recent incidents of women allegedly killing their prospective husbands to avoid marriages arranged by their families, calling such cases “unfathomable”. Ranaut’s endorsement then triggered criticism online.
One X user wrote, “Cooking is a patriarchy that was thrown around for a million years and it’s embarrassing to see @KanganaTeam glorifying it (sic).” Another commented, “Cooking’s a survival skill, everyone, no matter their gender, should know how to whip up good food (sic).” A third user wrote, “You make it very difficult to support you, Kangana (facepalm emoji).”
The episode has placed Patel’s viral remarks and Ranaut’s response at the centre of a wider online argument over gender roles, with the actor’s support for the governor’s comments prompting both endorsement and criticism.
