Fatima Sana Shaikh Says Feminists Are NOT 'Male-Bashing Women', Thinks Men Reject Feminism Without Understanding - EXCLUSIVE

Fatima Sana Shaikh is no stranger to speaking her mind, and ahead of the release of her upcoming romantic film Gustaakh Ishq, the actor has delivered a powerful clarification on what feminism truly stands

for. While the conversation around gender equality often gets twisted online, Fatima says the biggest problem today is misinformation, especially among men who reject feminism without even understanding its meaning. In an exclusive conversation with Zoom, the actor opened up about stereotypes, labels, and why feminism is not, and has never been, about “male-bashing.”

Fatima Sana Shaikh on feminism

Gustaakh Ishq, directed by Vibhu Puri and starring Vijay Varma, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Nasseruddin Shah, and Sharib Hashmi, is set to release on November 28, 2025. While discussing the film and her portrayal, Fatima also reflected on her experience working on Dhak Dhak, a film that had a deeply empathetic, female-centric storytelling.“Usually hum sochte hain ki khaali auratein hi aise scenes (scene from Dhak Dhak) likh sakti hai. But ye to mard director (Tarun Dudeja) tha. And he is a very feminist man. And that doesn't mean that if you are a feminist, doesn't mean that you will be a male-bashing woman,” she said.

Fatima on why men don't like the term 'feminism'

The actor added that many men immediately distance themselves from feminism, not because they disagree with its core principles, but because they don’t understand them.“Abhi jaise kuch memes chal rahe the ki koi banda jaake poochta hai ladkon ko ki kya aap feminist ho? ‘Nahi nahi, main feminist nahi hoon.’ Arre to bolte hain ki aap kya ho? ‘Bas no, we are not feminist.’ To it's just that ki woh word ka meaning hi log samajhne nahi lage. It’s as simple as that,” she explained.Fatima also pointed out how outdated stereotypes continue to damage women, especially the long-standing beliefs that women don’t support each other or are inherently ‘nagging.’“You know, it's not about judging women aur ye jo stereotypes hote hain ki aurat hi aurat ki dushman hoti hai ya aurat hi nag karti hai, ye jo hote hain na cheezein todna, shak break karna, woh kuch log hote hain kar lete hain,” she said.Clarifying further, she emphasised that Dhak Dhak, often praised for its deep understanding of womanhood, was written by a man. “So it’s written by a man, this whole film actually. So it’s nice,” she concluded.Watch the full chat:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abvexwpEApc

With Gustaakh Ishq gearing up for release, Fatima Sana Shaikh continues to use her platform to highlight misconceptions and push conversations on gender equality forward, reminding audiences that feminism simply means fairness, not division.